Operation Compassion Update on Hurricane Dorian Relief
During the past two days, Operation Compassion (OC) has been busy implementing a plan to help the survivors of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. With the catastrophic nature of the hurricane damage, getting into the devastated areas without interfering with recovery efforts has been difficult.
Currently, OC has been working with the Bahamian Church of God Overseer who has obtained a government commitment that shipments will be duty free and protected from confiscation. Initially, this process is approved by submitting Bills of Lading for each container being sent. Eventually, the Bahamian government will issue NEMA certificates which will simplify the shipping approval process.
OC has been in touch with long-term disaster relief partner, Abaco Relief Mission Project, who has arranged for container barges to transport relief aid to the Bahamas. Each barge can carry twenty containers each. Five barges have been scheduled for delivery, amounting to 100 containers full of disaster relief products and supplies. In addition, partners will be using helicopters and planes to shutter product to remote areas of the islands for distribution.
A non-profit partner has offered OC the use of a boat with 45,000 square feet of refrigerated and dry storage for a total of 90,000 square feet of useable warehousing space. This will greatly aid in the logistical support of distributing relief aid. Also, Dennis Harris of the Church of the Highlands Disaster Response Relational Network (OC is a member) has been in contact with OC offering their assistance. Other national charities such as Feed the Children are also donating semi-trucks of relief supplies for the Bahamian relief effort.
OC is working on a joint project with Mercy Chefs and Tom Sterbens, a Church of God pastor in Kodak, Tenn., to provide a barge that will travel from harbor to harbor feeding people in remote areas. OC Director David Lorency reached out to Gary LeBlanc of Mercy chefs who is willing to provide a fifty-three foot trailer full of frozen food, a custom cooking unit able to serve 5,000 meals per day and a water purification unit. Sterbens is working to procure the barge, a large fuel tank, a water tank and a travel trailer to house the workers.
“The past forty-eight hours has been extremely busy at OC,” Lorency stated. “Financial partners are needed so our relief efforts can continue as long as necessary.”
To become a partner with Operation Compassion there are several ways to give:
Online: www.operationcompassion.org; Phone: 423.728.3932; Mail: Operation Compassion, 114 Stuart Road, NE PMB 370, Cleveland, TN 37312.
