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What Can We Do?
Some dear friends of ours who lived through the devastation of Hurricane Ivan sent us the following letter. I share it because I hope it will help us remember that, though the news coverage has ceased, the need for help has not.
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Many of you have asked about our fate at the hands of Hurricane Ivan. The news is much better than it might have been, but nevertheless quite grim. As many of you now know, Ivan roared ashore with greatest fury precisely in the area stretching from Gulf Shores, Alabama through Perdido Key, Pensacola Bay, Pensacola Beach, and our own Gulf Breeze. We were told by some rescue workers that they had not seen so much devastation even around Mount St. Helens after its eruption in 1980. There are literally millions affected, all across Florida, by the worst disaster here in modern history. They all need our help, and desperately need our prayers.
Ivan was much worse than anyone ever dreamed and the damage to our community is unbelievable. We experienced a flood in our house which has horrible implications that unfold more and more every day. Today they began tearing our walls out to a certain height, and then the insulation and floor. This is the house we just moved into last August after a year of time and work in building it from the ground up along with subcontractors. It is taking a great toll on my husband. We also lost two vehicles due to the flood.
We are all weary and we need your prayers for our ability to persevere at the point where one would like to walk away. It is all stuff, but the problem is that we can't walk away until it is all back together again. And then where would we go? Almost everyone on our street is experiencing this, and the street looks like a third-world country with wet, smelly sewage/saltwater soaked carpet, drywall, furniture, etc. piled up in front of each person's home. We have several friends who have lost everything, their house is either gone or is considered totaled. One such couple are in their 80s.
There are many who have experienced little more than trees that are down. Nevertheless it is difficult to drive anywhere in our community without seeing the devastation. Imagine coming home to this every day. Many of our neighbors have bought an RV to live in during the rebuilding process. We are able to live on our second floor for which we are grateful, but the kitchen is barely usable. It is a major camping expedition!
We are grateful to all of you who have checked on us or prayed for us. Concerning what you may usefully do, the need is great. However much we might wish, there's just no way to downplay the magnitude of what has just taken place. As much as you may look at the pictures or see a news story on TV, you really don't understand unless you live in the midst of it. I know we never did.
Above all else, we want to express our gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ, for His providential preservation of each and all of us through the storm, for His mercy in this horrific time, and for His provision of the countless relief workers who are even now risking life and limb across Florida. They are living in horrible conditions usually quite a distance away from here, as there is no where for the many "new homeless" to live, and working long, and I mean long, hot hours. Many have families in other parts of Florida which were being threatened by Jeanne as they were trying to help here.
We could have lost far more than our things; and that which we've been able to keep is more precious than all the world. We are so thankful to be alive and have the ability to work.
P.S. For a better understanding of the situation in NW Florida, here is a Flash presentation of pictures and related stories from the Pensacola News Journal:
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/hurricane/flash/ivancenter.shtml
As well as a current story from Baptist Press on the progress and needs of the relief effort in Gulf Breeze:
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19189
~ From the R. Family
To see how you can help hurricane victims in Florida, please visit this link.
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