But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 1 John 3:17
Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, slammed into the coast of Louisiana on the afternoon of August 29, the 16th anniversary of Katrina. Ida was one of the strongest hurricanes on record. Katrina was only a category 3. Winds of Ida reached 150 mph, and at one point reversed the flow of the Mississippi.
Death tolls and estimates of damage continue to rise. There are approximately 1million people without power at this time; this is predicted to last for several weeks.
In the face of this disaster, the Missions Committee has put together a list of places accepting online donations. Please look at the list below and prayerfully decide where and how much you would like to donate to help those in need.
Organizations accepting donations (listed in alphabetical order)
American Red Cross: Donations directed toward Hurricane Ida enable the Red Cross to respond to and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support and other assistance. Click here to donate.
Americares: Americares has a fund to support its deliveries of medicine, personal protective equipment and medical supplies to disaster areas. Click here to donate.
Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities of Acadiana is listing ways for people to help the victims of Hurricane Ida, whether it be by monetary donation or volunteer work. Click here to donate.
GoFundMe: The Weather Channel and GoFundMe have teamed up to help people in the path of a natural disaster be prepared and recover quicker than ever before. Click here to donate.
Operation Blessing: Operation Blessing partners, staff, and disaster relief volunteers are the first on the ground, partnering with emergency management and local churches to bring food, clean water, medicine and other vital supplies to meet the immediate needs of those suffering. Donate online: Click here to donate.
Salvation Army: The Salvation Army is helping those affected by Hurricane Ida by operating a command unit, refrigerated truck, a laundry unit, shower unit, bunkhouse, and two Field Kitchens. These kitchens can produce between 15,000-20,000 meals per day. Click here to donate.
World Central Kitchen: Chef José Andrés, who leads an organization that provides food relief in areas hit by disaster, tweeted that a team in New Orleans would activate its three kitchen facilities in the city. He said they have supplies already on hand for more than 100,000 meals. Click here to donate.
Samaritan’s Purse has two Disaster Relief Units prepositioned to head into Louisiana as soon as it is safe to go. One deployed from our North Carolina headquarters before the storm even hit; the other is mobilized in Texas. Click here to donate. Click here to volunteer.
Pet Relief Agencies
Louisiana SPCA: Donate online.