| Between February and Labor I felt as if I was becoming a part of the Weather Channel on television. Our year started with a crippling snow fall that stopped much of our state for nearly a week. Then on the evening of February 5, a day we were calling Super Tuesday, because much of the country voted in a Presidential primary, our state took a severe blow. As the national news networks were about to deliver results, local weather reporters began alerting residents in four states to a potential disaster.
What later became known as the largest super cell ever recorded roared out of Oklahoma. Before it lifted, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma recorded 59 deaths and billions of dollars in damage. In Arkansas the cell stayed on the ground for 125 miles, climbing mountains and ripping through valleys.
As bad as this was the worst was yet to come. FEMA rushed 125 people and a caravan of mobile equipment into the state. The Red Cross opened an office with 130 workers. CBF AR responded with teams in both Clinton and Adkins. Our Partner, American Baptist Association from Tampa, FL arrived two days later. As we worked in central Arkansas, they mobilized to the northern edge of destruction in the Mt. Home area.
A little known statistic is that Oklahoma held the record for the most Presidential declared disasters in one year—8. It was February and we already had two. Well before we began seeing progress in the wake of the super cell damage we were staggered by a continuous series of disasters. Flooding on the White and Black Rivers began in March and threatened 75% of the Delta’s crop land. Another Declaration. CBF’s shower trailer was dispatched to Mt. View and remained for two months while being used by FEMA.
Then more tornadoes. Van Buren County is hit for the second time in two months. Crittenden, Arkansas and Phillips counties are heavily damaged. More deaths and more staggering monetary losses. We were spread thin and since no recovery funds come from our budget we were broke.
We still faced the hurricane season and had to remain alert to the possibility of needing to prepare for thousands of evacuees from the Gulf. What no one would have believed was that two category 3 storms would not only hit Louisiana and Texas, but would stall out over north Arkansas and create more havoc with extremely heavy rain.
And what about that record held by Oklahoma? We broke it in October when the President issued Declaration number 9 as a result of Hurricane Ike.
As we look back on a tumultuous year we have learned much.
· We are not alone.
· We are stronger than this time last year.
· Our supporters are our greatest asset.
· Working beside our Catholic, Methodist and Missionary Baptist friends is enlightening.
We can not wait to react but must be helping people that we don’t even know all year. As we prepare to enter 2009 we plead for your continued support. Please remember that we can offer help to those in need only to the degree that you support this work.
Very special thanks to all who helped with this work physically and with your checks.
|
Charles
Ray