A huge thanks to everyone in the impacted dioceses who worked steadfastly to care for those in need, especially (as in the case of East Carolina) when their own diocesan office was affected.

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting disaster-response efforts in Haiti and several Episcopal dioceses in the United States following Hurricane Matthew, which blasted through the Caribbean as a

Category 4 storm before moving up the Atlantic coast and causing damage from Florida to southern Virginia.

Episcopal Relief & Development provided direct support for food, water, and shelter for approximately 520 families staying on church properties in Haiti’s southern peninsula and worked with U.S. dioceses to assess and respond to local needs after the storm.

Churches in affected areas leveraged their existing ministries and community relationships to provide specialized services and care for people who were displaced from their homes. “Dioceses engaged in creative and insightful disaster response outreach activities to populations that might not otherwise have been able to easily access assistance,” said Katie Mears, director of the organization’s U.S. Disaster Program. “Florida was a great example of this, in their support of an existing, thriving worship community whose membership is primarily people experiencing homelessness, and East Carolina’s bolstering of a long-running ministry that assists migrant farmworkers is exactly the kind of thing that shows excellent stewardship of resources.” In Florida, diocesan leaders responded to emergency needs and continuing community assessments. Episcopal Relief & Development support expanded the ministry of Church Without Walls in Jacksonville to provide food, water, clothing, bedding, and sheltering materials for up to 300 homeless individuals in the area.

Church Without Walls reaches people through weekly outdoor prayer and worship services that welcome all to share their unique gifts in community.

The Diocese of East Carolina responded by reaching out and providing gift cards in hard-hit areas. In particular, support from Episcopal Relief & Development helped to increase the response of the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry affiliated with La Iglesia Episcopal de la Sagrada Familia, a Spanish-language congregation in the town of Dunn. This ministry’s nearly 30 distinct outreach programs offer assistance with food, clothing, housing, immigration, and advocacy, and the additional funds helped provide storage space and replacement of household goods. This support also enabled two other Spanish-language congregations with connections to well-established English-speaking congregations to use their buildings and connections to aid migrant workers. “I’m extremely proud of how the dioceses throughout the impacted region were caring for their neighbors and meeting needs in the initial phase of the emergency response,” Mears said. “They have done impressive work reaching out during the first 10 days, and are developing relationships that will continue to be useful through the entire disaster-recovery process.”

In Haiti, Episcopal Relief & Development is providing direct assistance for food, water, and shelter to church partners and displaced families sheltering in Petit Trou de Nippes, Paillant-Jeanette, Miragoane, Torbeck, Beraud, Jeremie, and Bainet.

The organization’s staff has received information on specific vulnerable families through the network of Episcopal priests and is on the ground providing support in each community. Approximately 520 families are currently receiving assistance through these efforts.

“The Haiti response is developing rapidly as transport and communications are restored to impacted areas,” said Abagail Nelson, Episcopal Relief & Development’s senior vice president of programs. “The hurricane caused extensive flooding and mudslides, power outages, and water shortages—compounding concerns about the possible spread of cholera. The church is reaching out to the vulnerable in its midst.

”Please continue to pray for communities affected by Hurricane Matthew, and donate to the Hurricane Matthew Response Fund to help Episcopal Relief & Development assist local partners in responding to critical needs.”

For more than 75 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has served as a compassionate response to human suffering in the world. The agency works with more than 3 million people in nearly 40 countries worldwide to overcome poverty, hunger, and disease through multisector programs, using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework. An independent 501(c)(3) organization, it works closely with the Anglican Communion and ecumenical partners to help communities create long-term development strategies and rebuild after disasters.

A huge thank-you to all our congregations and individuals who have already responded so generously to this call to help those impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

The need continues, so here is a link to the Episcopal Relief & Development website: www.episcopalrelief.org.