Adventist Community Services Helps Flooded Families in Southern U.S.

October 9, 2015:     Last week heavy rains from a major storm drenched parts of the Atlantic coast of the United States in North and South Carolina. In four days parts of the region received 6 to 27 inches, reported the Weather Channel. While the rainfall has wiped out much of the drought they were experiencing, it has also devastated many homes, businesses and churches.

Adventist Community Services (ACS) responded with a disaster respond team of trained volunteers in Lugoff, South Carolina, where they have opened a warehouse to collect and distribute donated goods. ACS is a charity sponsored by Adventists in the U.S. that operates under written agreements with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ACS has asked that those who wish to help the flood survivors not travel to the scene of the disaster without first making contact with the organization. Donations of supplies can be shipped to the emergency warehouse at 1255 Commerce Drive, Lugoff, SC 29078. Anyone would like to make a cash donation to this need can do so on the ACS Web site.

The same Web site has a list of supplies that are needed by volunteers on site. It should be noted that drinking water and bleach are not needed at this time, an ACS spokesman has told Adventist Today.

Individuals 16 years of age and older are invited to volunteer at the emergency warehouse. If you are interested, first consult the Web site of the Adventist denomination’s Carolina Conference: www.carolinasda.org

At this point no information was available from either the Carolina Conference or the South Atlantic Conference, the two Adventist denominational organizations in the region, as to any church buildings, schools or homes of members that may have been affected. Adventist Today continues to check on this.