doodle
05-08-2011, 12:55 PM
To avoid any religionization of this discussion, this is a political news thread and not about God's hand controlling these events or not ( there is discussion in Religion section already for that).
There has not been much talk of Obama's handling of relief effort following Tornadoe onslaught that killed over 350 Americans last week. Do you think Obama administration dealt with this natural disaster properly?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/07/us-weather-tornadoes-churches-idUSTRE74625R20110507
In tornado-ravaged Bible Belt, churches mobilize to help
By Verna Gates
BIRMINGHAM, Ala | Sat May 7, 2011 7:28pm EDT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) - The call for help came the morning after a killer tornado pulverized a section of Birmingham 10 days ago. Gordon Smelley and his "chainsaw gang" of 11 from the First Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama started their trailer and headed out.
"I don't have a lot of money to give, but I can give a few hours work to help people the best way I can," said Smelley, 72, a retired electrician for the Alabama Power Company.
Some trailers open out into "feeding units," such as one maintained by the Baptist denomination that is a 53-foot semi-truck and can issue 25,000 meals a day.
Other units include a shower and laundry truck, emergency child-care trucks, supply trucks, and tool trucks like the chainsaw trailers, according to Keith Hinson, spokesperson for Baptist Disaster Relief. Several warehouses store the trailers packed with supplies and equipment.
"Katrina was the catalyst for us to become more prepared for emergencies," Danette Clifton, spokeswoman for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, said of the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans and other parts of the South.
Religion is more deeply rooted in the American South than any other region of the country. The two states hardest hit by the recent tornadoes, Mississippi and Alabama, ranked No. 1 and 2 among the states in the importance of religion to residents, according to a 2009 survey by the Pew Research center.
Some 82 percent of people in Mississippi said religion was very important to their lives and 74 percent in Alabama.
While the South is known for white Evangelical Christians such as the Baptists, it also has a diverse range of churches from mainstream Protestants and black Protestant churches to a growing number of Catholics and even non-Christian religions.
Volunteers such as Smelley train extensively for their roles in emergencies. He spent several days in classes at the Alabama Baptist Board of Missions State Conference.
There has not been much talk of Obama's handling of relief effort following Tornadoe onslaught that killed over 350 Americans last week. Do you think Obama administration dealt with this natural disaster properly?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/07/us-weather-tornadoes-churches-idUSTRE74625R20110507
In tornado-ravaged Bible Belt, churches mobilize to help
By Verna Gates
BIRMINGHAM, Ala | Sat May 7, 2011 7:28pm EDT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) - The call for help came the morning after a killer tornado pulverized a section of Birmingham 10 days ago. Gordon Smelley and his "chainsaw gang" of 11 from the First Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama started their trailer and headed out.
"I don't have a lot of money to give, but I can give a few hours work to help people the best way I can," said Smelley, 72, a retired electrician for the Alabama Power Company.
Some trailers open out into "feeding units," such as one maintained by the Baptist denomination that is a 53-foot semi-truck and can issue 25,000 meals a day.
Other units include a shower and laundry truck, emergency child-care trucks, supply trucks, and tool trucks like the chainsaw trailers, according to Keith Hinson, spokesperson for Baptist Disaster Relief. Several warehouses store the trailers packed with supplies and equipment.
"Katrina was the catalyst for us to become more prepared for emergencies," Danette Clifton, spokeswoman for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, said of the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans and other parts of the South.
Religion is more deeply rooted in the American South than any other region of the country. The two states hardest hit by the recent tornadoes, Mississippi and Alabama, ranked No. 1 and 2 among the states in the importance of religion to residents, according to a 2009 survey by the Pew Research center.
Some 82 percent of people in Mississippi said religion was very important to their lives and 74 percent in Alabama.
While the South is known for white Evangelical Christians such as the Baptists, it also has a diverse range of churches from mainstream Protestants and black Protestant churches to a growing number of Catholics and even non-Christian religions.
Volunteers such as Smelley train extensively for their roles in emergencies. He spent several days in classes at the Alabama Baptist Board of Missions State Conference.