[1]ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP)–The massive response by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers to Hurricane Isabel is the cover story for the Sept. 27 issue of the evangelical publication World Magazine, a national news weekly based in Asheville, N.C.
The story, headlined “Ready or Not” and available at www.worldmag.com, tracks the behind-the-scenes preparations for the storm by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders.
“In suburban Atlanta, Terry Henderson watched the storm nervously for 10 days,” the article states. “As the national disaster relief director for the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board (NAMB), Mr. Henderson oversees the third-largest relief organization in North America.”
The story details the flurry of phone calls and teleconferences between Disaster Relief leaders and representatives of the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, primary partners in distributing the food prepared by Southern Baptists.
It describes how they discussed contingency planning for different scenarios for the storm’s impact. It also recounts a visit by a reporter to NAMB’s “bunker-like” Volunteer Mobilization Center in Alpharetta, Ga., and to South Carolina’s response center in Columbia.
The magazine features a satellite photo of the storm on the cover as well as photos of Disaster Relief operations provided by NAMB.
[2]Since the article was written, the response has become the largest in the 37-year history of Southern Baptist Disaster relief, involving a total of 116 separate units of volunteers since Sept. 18. Volunteers thus far have put in a cumulative 4,200-plus days of labor.
The response as of late Sept. 25 included 24 mobile kitchens, 53 cleanup and recovery (chainsaw) units, 16 mobile shower units, four communication units, a laundry unit, a water purification unit and an assessment team. Volunteers from more than 22 states are serving in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
For updates on the response, visit www.namb.net/dr.
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(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: WORLD MAGAZINE.