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Home > Latest News > World Vision Donors Help Raise $12 Million to Rebuild Lives

U.S. Gulf Coast: World Vision Donors Help Raise $12 Million to Rebuild Lives




Even as Hurricane Katrina bore down on the Gulf Coast of the United States on Aug. 29, 2005, with winds of up to 145 mph, World Vision teams were in place to respond.

Less than 30 days later, Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast on Sept. 24. On Oct. 24, Hurricane Wilma slashed through communities in southwest Florida.

In each instance, World Vision responded immediately to the devastation from the three Gulf Coast hurricanes through local churches and partners. Even before Hurricane Wilma slammed into the Sunshine State, hygiene kits, clothing, shoes and vinyl gloves were stationed in Florida in preparation.

Thousands Assisted
World Vision assistance has now moved from emergency relief to long-term recovery. To date, we have assisted more than 120,000 children and family members through the American Families Assistance Fund.

"You mean this is all brand new ... for us?" asked an excited teenager, displaced from her New Orleans home by Hurricane Katrina. In partnership with World Vision, the urban clothing company, FUBU, donated 5,000 pieces of clothing and shoes in the days following the hurricane. World Vision is currently helping to rebuild churches in the Gulf Coast.


Gulf Coast Relief

Through the American Families Assistance Fund, World Vision has:
  • Disbursed more than $12 million in emergency supplies
  • Filled 6,500 backpacks with school supplies
  • Given $2 million in grants to help more than 80 churches and organizations remain open

World Vision is also continuing to work with churches to distribute Bibles to people who request or want them.

Rebuilding Churches
World Vision is now engaged in the Revitalization Campaign phase of its Gulf Coast Hurricane Response plan. The goal of the current phase, which began in January 2006, is to rebuild and renew churches and community-based organizations damaged by the hurricanes.

2 Million Displaced
Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that 2 million people were displaced by Katrina and Rita. Hurricane Katrina's death toll is now at about 1,200 — of these, 1,000 casualties were in Louisiana and 200 in Mississippi. Deaths indirectly related to the hurricane raise the toll to 1,336.

Meanwhile, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children lists 254 children as still missing following Katrina and Rita.

An estimated 330,000 people were displaced from New Orleans because of Katrina's destruction and about 2,500 remain missing. Estimates are that some 150,000 residents have returned to New Orleans; the current population is straining the city's resources. Three of 117 public schools have reopened and electricity is only partially available in eight postal zones.

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Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

Who Is World Vision?
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

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