Silver Spring, MarylandAs severe storms develop across the globe in 2007, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is prepared to respond in the aftermath of extreme weather, bringing aid to storm survivors in the United States and abroad.
"A natural disaster can strike at any moment," said Frank Teeuwen, bureau chief for emergency management at ADRA International. "With ADRA's global network, we have the ability to respond quickly to emergencies like hurricanes and typhoons. ADRA's emergency responses provide the essential goods and services that survivors desperately need to cope and get back on their feet."
Since January 2007, ADRA's emergency response initiatives have helped nearly 64,000 people worldwide, including projects for flood victims in Kenya, tsunami survivors in the Solomon Islands, and cyclone survivors in Mozambique. ADRA's emergency response efforts focus on emergency shelter and non-food items, nutrition and food aid, health and medical services, and water/sanitation services.
Andrea, 2007's first named storm, developed three weeks before the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and hurricane experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States government's top climate agency, have predicted a 75 percent chance of a higher than normal number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean this season, which ends November 30.
"NOAA scientists predict 13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," reported NOAA administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, during a recent news conference held at the NOAA National Hurricane Center.
ADRA's emergency response activities span the globe, from its work with U.S.-based partners and hurricane survivors on the Gulf Coast to its ongoing provision of emergency aid for typhoon-affected communities in the Philippines each year.
ADRA International's emergency management bureau coordinates all aspects of an emergencyfrom preparedness and response to recovery and mitigationand has local, regional, and global protocols established to facilitate the immediate response to emergencies. Its preparedness measures include the pre-positioning of goods like clothing and medicines around the world, as well as the creation of a National Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for each country where ADRA has a presence.
Balancing the cost implications of a sudden surge of demand after a rapid-onset emergency with the overall economic assistance that ADRA provides, ADRA International's material acquisitions program facilitated the donation and shipment of clothing, equipment, and life-saving medicines valued at more than $50 million to partnering ADRA offices in 2006. In addition, the emergency management bureau worked with local partners to implement emergency response projects totaling more than $850,000.
Past projects include the purchase of land for survivors of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, which killed nearly 11,000 people and caused billions of dollars of damage in 1998. In 2004, ADRA International and its partnering offices implemented more than $372,500 in response to the effect of hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan, and Jeanne on people in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the United States.
In 2005, the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, ADRA responded to hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma, implementing close to $1 million through local partners and organizations on the ground that were directly involved in emergency response programs providing food, clothing, and other relief items for evacuees. Additionally, ADRA shipped more than $1.2 million worth of personal care supplies, new clothing, food, cleaning supplies, and general items for evacuees through its partnership with the Adventist Community Services (ACS) in the Gulf Coast region.
To support ADRA's global emergency responses to severe storms, flooding, and other weather-related disasters, call 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or donate online to ADRA's Emergency Management fund at www.adra.org.
ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.
Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.
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Media Contact:
Kara Watkins
ADRA International
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Phone: 301.680.6357
E-mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
