Response Efforts

As I was walking around on Sunday, before the service, after the service, and out in the courtyard, I had people telling me how much they appreciated my article from the day before about my time in Banner Elk, North Carolina. We have heard regularly from our sons there and they are well and dealing with the circumstance as it unfolds. A couple of folks mentioned to me that they knew people in NC who were not seeing any government interaction or support since the storm came through. So, I thought it would be good to follow up. As we are followers of Jesus we want to speak truth to each other and to secure the truth clearly. So, let me tell you what I know. Banner Elk has a small airport and there have been reports from that airport on FoxNews sharing how it has become a hub for work by volunteers, FEMA, and the National Guard. One of the ways our government works in disasters is through VOAD – Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. This link will send you a short description of how the Federal Government coordinates efforts through volunteer and faith-based organizations so that immediate help can start moving. If you saw the report where former President Trump was standing with Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham) with the materials from Samaritan’s Purse (the organization with whom we work in our Operation Christmas Child giving), you may have heard him say that the Federal government wasn’t doing anything. I appreciate that candidates want to show themselves in the best light, but I challenged that statement in my article because Samaritan’s Purse is one of the designated VOAD organizations. Fox News flew up to Banner Elk’s airport on a Samaritan’s Purse helicopter. This kind of coordinated approach allows the government to work more effectively with federal, state, and local agencies and other nonprofits during disaster response efforts, so these efforts aren’t duplicated. In other words, people may not see one of our elected officials walking down the street, but when they see the National Guard flying or driving in, and the World Central Kitchen helicopter landing by the town hall delivering food, and when they see the bags of supplies from Samaritan’s Purse and other organizations piled up in the elementary school’s hallways, they’re seeing our government’s well-coordinated efforts on their behalf. Blessings, Geoff