HURRICANE RELIEF
Operation Blessing Brings
Meals to Charley Victims
By Ken Hulme
The 700 Club
CBN.com –
Hurricane Charley, packing 140 mph winds, slammed into the Gulf Coast less
than 100 miles from Tampa, Fla.
So what was left in the wake of Charley's fury? In a word, devastation.
I was in Port Charlotte, Fla., probably the epicenter of the hurricane, in
a mobile home park of 1,200 units. The manager said that 90 percent of the
units would be condemned or were already destroyed. Anywhere you went in town,
you saw signs of Charley's wrath.
"I don't think we'll be able to stay here because the roof is going to cave
in on us," said one hurricane victim. "The whole thing was unbelievable. I
hope I never go through it again."
The roof of George and Heather's house is also gone. Inside, the ceilings
fell. Not realizing how furious the storm would be, they had decided to ride
it out.
"It was pretty terrifying," George said. "We noticed that the wind was picking
up heavier, and I heard my roof pealing off. Something hit the awnings, and
it blew the window out and threw glass into the room and into the hallway.
It's a miracle that no one was hurt by the glass itself."
"I feel like I am losing part of my family," added Heather. "I have been
there for 11 years. We put a lot of work into it. There are a lot of memories."
Into this devastation came Operation Blessing, with the ministry partnership
of The Salvation Army. When the storm hit, The Salvation Army wanted to send
out a fleet of mobile canteens. But there was a problem: no one could supply
the food needed until next week. Within a few hours of calling Operation Blessing,
the OB trucks were rolling with more than 120,000 pounds of desperately needed
food.
Earlier in the morning the trucks delivered food to The Salvation Army warehouse.
Immediately, the mobile canteens were stocked and on their way. Here Salvation
Army volunteers have served up to 6,000 meals in two days -- those going to
emergency and rescue workers.
Up the street at a middle school, a canteen served hot meals to needy families.
This was where I first met George and Heather, who were not waiting in line
for themselves, but waiting in line so that they could bring a hot meal to
their elderly neighbors. Those neighbors lost their home to water damage,
too.
In the following days, Operation Blessing drivers worked closely with The
Salvation Army to transport food and supplies to hardhit areas.
"I hope everybody continues to donate to Operation Blessing so that people
down here can get the food they need," said George. "It is something that
they will always appreciate, and your money is well spent by offering it to
organizations like that. They are helping to feed people who are down on their
luck."
Due to the recent threat of Hurricane Frances, Operation Blessing is once
again poised with food and supplies. Won't
you partner with us, too? It's heart wrenching to watch people who have lost
everything, but together we can make a tremendous impact to help relieve their
suffering. Please
give generously today.
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