Change takes Falls Creek out of evacuation plans

[PUGalicious]

From NewsOK.com:

A church camp near Davis prepared to handle as many as 3,000 Hurricane Katrina survivors will not be used as an evacuation center, Gov. Brad Henry and leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma said Tuesday.

The Falls Creek youth camp is not needed because large numbers of evacuees are no longer expected to come to the state, Henry said during a news conference at the state Capitol. The camp had been placed on a federal standby list for hurricane evacuees.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is putting emphasis now on finding permanent housing for hurricane victims instead of placing them in shelters or camps, Henry said.

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When I first learned about this yesterday, I was a little saddened and disappointed, although not near as much as all the people who put so much work into it. I desperately hope that this will not adversely affect people's willingness to help out in the future; but knowing Oklahoma's history, I doubt this will significantly dampen Oklahomans' generous spirit.

I want to commend and express sincere appreciation to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and every single person who answered the call to help out evacuees. I want to extend a special thank you to our own Keith for efforts in getting the word out on this forum and his hard work trying to help get Falls Creek prepared and properly stocked.

I applaud the BGCO and their member churches for taking a lead in Oklahoma in reaching out to victims of Katrina. They served as a shining example of how Christians should reach out to those who need help.


Disclaimer: I am not Baptist nor am I a member of any BGCO-affiliated church. I am simply a fellow believer who is encouraged to see Christians step up to the plate when so many other churches did not.

[Keith]

BTW, I received a phone call and an e-mail from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma today, and they are getting some volunteers together for this Saturday, starting at 9:30 AM. The volunteers will be gathering up all of the donated food, clothing, and other items, that were donated to Falls Creek, and giving it all to the Red Cross, so that they can distribute it to the evacuees that are coming to Oklahoma.

I count it a great blessing to have had a part of this wonderful effort, and I would do it all over again if I needed to. Even though Falls Creek wasn't used to help these evacuees, we were ready, and only by the grace of God.

[kahloist]

Now that's the kind of good karma that will be rewarded on a larger scale. Good deeds and compassion should be the backbone of American society, but that's a pipedream.