September 1, 2004

The headquarters of several Christian organizations are located in Orlando, Florida - one of the cities that may be hit hard by hurricane Frances.

Steve Douglass, president of Orlando-based Campus Crusade for Christ, is inviting Christians to pray with their staff. "As powerful as Frances is, it represents only an infinitesimal fraction of the power of God. Join us in praying that God will blunt the force of the storm and spare people the injury and damage that Frances has the potential to inflict."

"Pray that... the storm will go back out to sea, will decrease significantly in intensity or hit land in relatively unpopulated areas."

"As people are affected, as those in the Bahamas already have been, pray for safety and for God's comfort in time of loss."

In addition to those traveling out of Florida, remember to pray for those who are coming to Florida to offer assistance. Organizations like the Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, and others will go into hard hit areas to offer aid. Orlando residents know first-hand that the amount of clean-up help needed is overwhelming.

We must cast our cares on Him. Please pray in the spirit of David in Psalm 61:1-3: "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe."

We should, by faith, look forward to what God will do. And whatever He chooses, we shall praise Him.

Update

1.2 million people, mostly in South Florida, have been told to clear out ahead of Category 4 Hurricane Frances. Emergency officials in 10 Florida counties ordered mandatory evacuations for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas Thursday as Hurricane Frances swept into the Bahamas and appeared headed toward the U.S. mainland. Nine other counties may follow suit, according to the Florida Emergency Management Agency. (Source: CNN, http://www.cnn.com)

The Salvation Army is in need of truck mechanics. Volunteers should call CEN at 928-556-8662. Otherwise financial donations, not supplies, are requested.

Financial donations to help support The Salvation Army disaster relief efforts can be made to any local Salvation Army center, earmarked "Disaster Relief" or online at http://www.salvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

Track the Storm

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center have developed a new satellite animation tool that provides detailed, near real-time movies of the hurricane as it approaches the Florida coast. The image shows the massive storm sweeping across the Bahamas toward Florida. Updated every half-hour, the movie is produced from visible and infrared satellite imagery obtained from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-12 satellite. Images of the storm are projected on a base map obtained from NASA's Earth Observatory Team. This color, high-resolution base map shows the affected islands in detail – http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/media/spotlight/frances.html

National Hurricane Center – http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Christian Emergency Network