At River City Church, we partner with Convoy of Hope in disaster relief. I know many of you have been looking at the news about the difference we can make in the many difficult situations hitting the US and other parts of North America. See below for updates. You can always give to River City Church and designate your gift to Convoy of Hope–we will make sure all your gift gets straight to them!

TROPICAL STORM IMELDA

Tropical Storm Imelda has flooded southeast Texas over the last couple of days. Rain totals are nearly 4 feet in some areas — which is eerily similar to the flooding caused in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey. The storm is finally moving out of the area, which will allow relief to start flowing into the affected areas.

• Convoy of Hope has been in touch with numerous partners with whom we worked during our Hurricane Harvey response. These trusted partners were an incredible help several years ago and are now providing valuable intel that will help us determine the area of greatest need.
• A Disaster Services team plans to deploy personnel, equipment, and two loads of emergency supplies — including food, water, and hygiene items.
• Once the waters recede, we will determine next steps.

HURRICANE DORIAN

Dorian was unpredictable from the start, defying forecaster’s ability to track it accurately. It officially became a hurricane on August 28 near St. Thomas Island in the British Virgin Islands. After skirting past Puerto Rico and morphing into a powerful Category 5 hurricane, it slammed into the Bahamas, spun up the U.S. East Coast, and finally  hit parts of Canada as a Category 1 storm.

Dorian hit the Bahamas on September 1, with top sustained winds of 185 mph. It leveled trees and buildings and brought unprecedented flooding. It’s estimated that nearly half of all buildings were severely damages or completely destroyed in the areas directly in it’s path. More than 40 people have been confirmed dead, but the prime minister warns that number will soar. Hundreds remain missing. For more than 60,000 survivors, the prospect of food and water shortages are very real, according to the World Food Programme.

Residents all along the East Coast were affected by Dorian. It officially made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane. The worst flooding was experienced by those living in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Ocracoke Island has the worst flooding.Hurricane Dorian

International Response – Bahamas

• Our team has found a larger warehouse. Please join us in praying our team finds a fork lift we can rent locally.
• This weekend, product was distributed to 18 different churches. More product is en route from our warehouse in Florida.
• Convoy of Hope has distributed more than 287,000 pounds of supplies — including clean water, tarps, ready-to-eat food items, Crisis Care Kits, diapers, wipes, formula, and two generators.
• Convoy of Hope has served more than 14,000 individuals and 4,000 families in need during this response.
• Convoy’s disaster services team created 10 mixed-product pallets and distributed them to churches in Freeport. These churches will serve as distribution centers for their communities.
• We’ve assisted citizens of Freeport, Treasure Cay, Marsh Harbour, West End, Nassau, and Moore’s Island. The Moore’s Island response is particularly significant because relief supplies had not yet been distributed there when we arrived. 
• Our team continues to interface with organizations and church partners in Nassau who are servicing shelters. 
• In Nassau, the ability to wash clothing has been expressed as a high need. Convoy of Hope has been able to deliver laundry detergent and buckets to a shelter, allowing evacuees from Abaco to wash their clothing by hand.
• Convoy of Hope is working with a network of churches to establish multiple distribution points. 
• The team has coordinated directly with the Bahamian government and local partners to identify areas of immediate need. 
• Dehydration is a serious health concern after a major natural disaster and one of the first issues that needs addressed. Convoy of Hope has sent multiple loads of water to help hurricane survivors get access to clean drinking water. In addition, Convoy of Hope has trained locals on water filter usage.
• Baby care kits are an immediate need. If your church would like more information on how to help in this area, click here.

U.S. Response

• Our team has secured a warehouse in Florida to serve evacuees coming from the Bahamas. We are working closely with church partners in the area to continuously meet needs.
• USDS delivered five truckloads of resources to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 
• The emergency manager of Ocracoke Island secured warehouse space to store the resources for distribution. Local officials and churches will coordinate distribution moving forward, as our team has departed North Carolina. 
• The USDS team continues to support the IDS team with staff in the Bahamas as well as in Florida. Rotation of personnel will continue for the foreseeable future.