When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast two years ago, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee joined with many other relief organizations to deliver emergency supplies, collect donated goods, repair homes, and aid evacuees. Today, CRWRC has provided nearly $4 million in post-Katrina services involving cleanup, assessments, and construction
—and has committed an additional $2 million to ongoing reconstruction.
CRWRC has completed 37,913 home visits by 232 needs-assessment volunteers in Gulfport and Laurel, Miss.; Slidell, La.; and Port Arthur, Texas. About 5,000 Christian Reformed volunteers have repaired and restored 2,000 homes and properties in those areas.
CRWRC will continue working in its four reconstruction sites and plans to open a fifth site near New Orleans. In October CRWRC will begin a year-long “Home-Building Blitz” to build 10 new homes in the Katrina area using all volunteer labor.
“CRWRC has been with us from the beginning, providing valuable leadership and expertise,” said Dale Kimball, executive director of Northshore Disaster Recovery in Slidell. “The impact of your work has affected not just those families whose homes you have repaired, but entire neighborhoods. CRWRC’s long-term commitment has inspired others to continue supporting our recovery efforts, and we are grateful for your example.”
CRWRC hopes to collect another $1 million for the ongoing work. Donations may be marked “Katrina Support.”
CRWRC is also providing disaster relief and support in 30 other countries, including aid to survivors of Peru’s earthquake, and to survivors of massive flooding in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (with help from the Canadian FoodGrains Bank). The record 2007 monsoon season impacted more than 35 million people throughout Southeast Asia, India, China, and North Korea. Donations for this work may be marked “Peru Earthquake Response 2007” or “South Asia Floods 2007.”
Contact CRWRC at www.crwrc.org or 1-800-55-CRWRC (U.S.), 1-800-730-3490 (Canada); by mail: 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49560-0600, or 3475 Mainway, P.O. Box 5070, STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8.
—CRWRC
