Following Hurricane Gustav's landfall early this week, World Vision dispatches relief supplies to evacuees and stands prepared for a busy hurricane season.

September 5, 2008

After Hurricane Gustav made landfall early this week along the U.S. Gulf Coast, World Vision staff members implemented our hurricane response plan and dispatched a shipment of relief items from our Los Angeles Storehouse to evacuees who had fled to Jackson, Miss.

With the help of local church and community partners we've worked with since Hurricane Katrina three years ago, the supplies were distributed to children and families who need them most.

Thankfully, Gustav proved to be a far less destructive storm than initially feared. However, recognizing the potential for an active hurricane season this year, World Vision remains prepared to launch relief responses for future storms that hit the United States.

Tropical Storm Hanna, predicted to reach Category 1 hurricane status, is expected to make landfall along the Carolinas this weekend. And Hurricane Ike, already a Category 4 storm, looms in the Atlantic and may threaten the southeastern United States next week.

"For every dollar spent on preparedness, you save seven," says John Pettit, World Vision's director of domestic disaster response. "We help communities identify risks and show them ways to mitigate these risks."

World Vision uses a multifaceted approach to achieve this — building partnerships with local churches and community groups who help prepare for and respond to disasters in their areas, pre-positioning relief items at our 10 Storehouses across the country for distribution by these partners, and identifying areas where need is likely to be most acute following a major disaster such as a hurricane.

With hurricane season still in its early stages, World Vision is using all of these strategies to help children, families, and communities in areas at risk.