IOCC Responds to U.S. Hurricanes

IOCC RESPONDS TO U.S. HURRICANES

SITUATION UPDATE
Since the onset of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has been working with the support and cooperation of Orthodox parishes and with an extensive network of ecumenical partners. Through your generosity, more than $4 million in emergency assistance will have been provided to vulnerable families and individuals affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The IOCC Emergency Response Network was activated immediately following Hurricane Katrina with response teams deployed to Mobile, Alabama; Baton Rouge, Louisiana (also serving
New Orleans); Biloxi, Mississippi; and Houston, Texas (serving the communities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange, Texas as well as Lake Charles and Shreveport, Louisiana.).

IOCC emergency assistance in response to the hurricanes includes:

More than $150,000 in essential, unmet emergency needs, including:

• Essential food items, sanitary and cleaning supplies;
• Chainsaws & Generators;
• Relocation assistance and emergency grants to evacuees;
• Emergency prescription fulfillment;
• Personal transportation assistance and the purchase of prescription eyewear;

Distribution of $2.5 million in emergency relief items, including:

• 32,000 new hand-made quilts valued at $475,000;
• Forty-one tons of canned pork, beef and turkey valued at $88,000;
• 36,000 “Gift of the Heart” health kits valued at $439,000 — including
many contributed by Orthodox Christians from around the country;
• $157,000 in “Gift of the Heart” school kits for children;
• 2,500 household emergency cleaning kits valued at $112,500;
• $238,000 in multi-vitamins for children and adults;
• $296,000 of food, water, blankets and bed linens, diapers, personal health
kits, mattresses, and oral electrolyte solutions for children and adults;
• Over-the-counter medications valued at $440,000;
• Much-needed emergency relief items, including food, drinks, shoes, air
conditioning units, refrigerators, tools and blankets valued at $242,000.

International Headquarters: P.O. Box 630225 • Baltimore, MD 21263-0225 USA
Toll-free donation hotline: (877) 803-IOCC (4622) • Fax: (410) 243-9824 • E-mail: relief@iocc.org • http://www.iocc.org
I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

A $430,000 Orthodox parish/parishioner assistance program;

• IOCC is finalizing plans to implement an emergency assistance program to make available $350,000 in emergency funds to assist seriously affected Orthodox families with immediate emergency support for family needs arising as a result of the losses they experienced due to the disasters;
• Creation and distribution of Personal Emergency Response Kit with information on where affected families can access additional assistance;
• Establishment of an IOCC-supported help desk for parishes to refer affected families to social
service agencies, service providers and other sources of continuing assistance;

Medical assistance valued at more than $855,000, including:
• Prescription medications and over-the-counter medicines;
• Medical assistance program providing $20,000 in essential pharmaceuticals to medical teams
working in Mobile, Alabama;
• A program of professional trauma counseling services was provided to fire fighters, policemen,
and workers on site in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This program was valued
in excess of $35,000;
• A mobile medical van in the New Orleans area scheduled to operate on a continuous basis
through March 2006 with an operating budget of $100,000 — the overall value of medical
services to be provided is estimated at $700,000 over the six month period;
• Evacuation of over 300 sick and injured individuals from New Orleans in need of urgent
medical care to Baton Rouge;

More than $75,000 for the equipping of Churches and aid distribution networks, including:
• Immediate emergency assistance rendered through Church structures such as transportation
assistance and replacement of prescription eyeglasses;
• Provision of chainsaws, power washers, clean-up and storage equipment to parishes and local
organizations for use in the clean-up and recovery efforts by the local community;
• Staff support and logistics assistance for the warehousing and distribution of commodities
through an interfaith effort that has provided thousands of tons of assistance to survivors
residing or transiting through Baton Rouge, Louisiana. and Biloxi, Mississippi.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding to multiple natural and man-made disasters in the United States and around the world and relies on the continued generosity of its faithful supporters to help aid the survivors.

Contributions to IOCC’s Hurricane Disaster Response Fund may be sent to IOCC, “Hurricane Relief,” P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD 21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at www.iocc.org or by calling toll-free 1-877-803-IOCC (4622).

Disaster relief operations are, by their very nature, constantly changing. All numbers are approximate and represent the best estimates at the time of publication.

Updated October 31, 2005
Founded in 1992, IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of
the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA)