HURRICANE FELIX - Updates

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Friend Ship Mersea is being prepared for her mission to Central America.  Maintenance and repairs continue as the cargo is finalized for the voyage.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

MerSea will be sailing October 14th for response to Hurricane Felix.  Chief Carlos Cordero, the Director of Disaster Response Services for Central America and Chief of the Honduras Fire Department met with Friend Ships leaders at Port Mercy on Sunday and he will be making all port and customs arrangements for the ship in both Honduras and Nicaragua.  The First Lady of Honduras has requested the assistance of our organization.

Please click here for further details during the mission as we post any reports during sailing and updates of hurricane relief taking place.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Friend Ships is planning to take one of our ships to sail as soon as possible to Puerto Cabezas Nicaragua and to La Mosquitia Honduras to deliver heavy duty vinyl tarp, food, blankets, linens, toiletries and clothing.  We'll be sailing from Lake Charles and stopping first at the Island of Roatán and the Honduran port city of Puerto Cortes in order to pick up teams of Honduran Church volunteers and National Firemen who will be going with us to help make the deliveries.  La Mosquitia cannot be directly approached by ship because of shallow water, but are especially in need so we will anchor offshore and ferry goods in on smaller boats.  The First Lady of Honduras specifically requested our help for this particular region of the country.

At the same time, one of our other ships will be in the West Indies with a medical mission.  In early November both ships will meet in Roatán where we are having a medical outreach there before sailing home to Port Mercy.

We ask you for your prayers, that just the right crew would come together for this mission, that all needs would be met and that the  love of the Lord Jesus would shine on all!

Friday, September 14, 2007

The damage caused by Hurricane Felix to Nicaragua and Honduras is being assessed. The UN reports that almost 20,000 homes have been destroyed completely or severely damaged and 96% of the agricultural production is ruined in Nicaragua alone.

Friend Ships is praying about and pursuing a plan to take one of our ships with supplies to the effected area where we will work with the Central American Disaster Team, the National Firemen of Honduras and church volunteers from San Pedro Sula and Roatán to help those most in need.  We'll keep you updated as the plan progresses.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Presently, we are in discussions with Verbo Ministries, an international church and missions’ organization that works extensively in Latin America to see what can be done to help the people of Puerto Cabezas. This is an area of Nicaragua that was hit hard by high winds and floods from Hurricane Felix on Tuesday. Verbo operates a church, an orphanage and various outreaches in the port city.

This northeast coast of Nicaragua suffered the worst damage from Hurricane Felix when it came ashore Tuesday. The category-five storm destroyed thousands of homes and ripped off roofs in and around the city of Puerto Cabezas, which is home to many Miskito Indians. Officials reported that there are thousands of people left homeless they are searching for many people who may have been swept out to sea.  52 fishermen washed ashore after being swept off a tiny island where they had been fishing when the storm hit.  They survived by clinging to boards and life buoys.  More than 100 others have disappeared. It is reported that 90% of the infrastructure of the city was destroyed.

Friend Ships has worked with Verbo on many projects including missions to Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.  We are looking into the possibility of taking our ship MERSEA to bring aid to this disaster ravaged community.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007 1:00 p.m. EDT

On Tuesday, Felix came ashore as a Category 5 major hurricane near the coastal city of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua where some years ago, Friend Ships helped to build an orphanage.  The city was severely impacted.  Officials say it was destroyed.  "Everywhere there are smashed homes and churches, downed trees and power lines. . .  We are in a bad way, roads are impassible, people are alarmed, they have no power, no water and many have nothing to eat," the regional governor said.

We will not know until Wednesday what effects the heavy rains and high winds had on Honduras as the storm moved through the countryside.

Friend Ships is looking into the possibilities of how we can best help the situation in Nicaragua and will post updates on this website as a plan falls into place.   

Thank you for your prayers for Roatán.  Although at one point, the islands lay directly in the projected path, they were spared entirely from the wrath of Hurricane Felix.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007 10:00 a.m. EDT

Hurricane Felix's landfall marked the first time since the 1886 hurricane season that two Category 5 hurricanes hit land.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007 5:00 a.m.  EDT

Hurricane Felix is now making landfall in Nicaragua and Honduras.  The area where the fierce storm, still a Category 4 is making landfall is along the Mosquito Coast, known locally as La Mosquitia where tens of thousands of indigenous people live in wooden shacks with no way to evacuate.  Friend Ships is in contact with Carlos Cordero, national fire chief and head of emergency services for Honduras and we will be ready to respond.  The Friend Ships Roatán team is hunkered down for the storm and will start developing a plan of response as soon as the storm passes.

Monday, September 03, 2007 11:30 a.m. central

Hurricane Felix continues to maintain it's Category 5 strength and is still projected to make landfall at coastal Honduras and Nicaragua early Wednesday.  Our team in Roatán, just off the coast of Honduras is making preparations to secure our facility.  After the hurricane passes, they will be on site to assess and report back to base what the damage and needs are so they Friend Ships can evaluate the best response.

Please pray for Garry Malcolm, Mary Pearce and our team at The Village in Roatán.  We will continue to post updates to this page to keep you informed as things develop.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 9:00 a.m. central

Fear grips Roatán.

Hurricane Felix, now a Category Five.  Continues on a path towards Roatán and the Bay Islands.  Please Pray for the Bay Islands and the west coast of Honduras and Nicaragua.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 4:00 p.m. central

Hurricane Felix, now a Category Four Hurricane is headed on a path straight for the Bay Islands where Friend Ships has its Caribbean base.  Roatán sits helplessly alone 35 miles off the coast of Honduras with a population of 75,000 and many of the poor living in flimsy wooden homes by the waters edge. The Hurricane winds and storm surge could cause catastrophic damage. 

HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  

When a hurricane devastates a community, weather it be on U.S. shores, in Central America or in the Caribbean, Friend Ships is ready to respond with spiritual support, food service, supply and distribution of commodities, medical services, emergency radio broadcasting and house-to-house care that includes installing temporary roofing and removing fallen trees.

Hurricane Disaster Response: Friend Ships is collecting specific supplies for Hurricane Relief efforts.  Find out our current needs and how you may help touch lives.  Currently we are accepting supplies like Non-Perishable Food, hygienic supplies (new), cleaning products and supplies etc.

You can make a financial donation to go towards disaster response to help those effected by the recent hurricanes and allow us to get supplies and equipment that will be needed.  Specify on your donation to go towards: Disaster Response or Hurricane Relief.

You can donate online (click here), call our Port Mercy office, or mail a check/money order to our Port Mercy office.

Join our team and help during times of need as a Disaster Response Volunteer: Individuals or church teams interested in helping our full time crew to respond and to be ready to work as an effective part of our team during disaster relief efforts (typically a two week commitment).	Check past Hurricane Reports: Hurricane Katrina/Rita - New Orleans - 2005. Hurricane Rita - Lake Charles - 2005. Hurricane Wilma - South Florida - 2005. Hurricane Ivan - 2004. Hurricane Mitch - 1998. Current Needs Lists - Find out what items are needed for General Disaster Response.
HOW YOU CAN HELP VOLUNTEER: Join our team and help during times of need as a Disaster Response Volunteer.   Click here to download the Disaster Response Application.  You may also want to consider joining our full time team or coming to join us short term to help prepare for hurricane season and other Friend Ships missions.  DONATE GOODS: Friend Ships will take in donations of goods that are specifically needed for disaster relief in order to be ready for immediate response when needed.
Items needed for General Disaster Response: * 30kw Generators * Bottled Water * Toilet Paper * Personal Hygiene Supplies: Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Hairbrush, etc. * Feminine Products: Tampons and pads * Diapers & Pull-ups:          Diapers: Newborn, 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5          Pull-ups: sizes: 2T, 3T, & 4T          Overnights (night-time diapers): small, medium & large * Shrink Wrap * Non-Perishable Food: Canned foods, canned meats & canned vegetables * Work Gloves (all sizes) * Push Brooms, Standard Brooms, Mops, Scrubbing Brushes * Building Supplies & Tools: Tin roofing, Drywall, Plywood, Roofing nails, Hammers, Screws, Drills Tools, etc. * Rubber Boots & work boots * Paper Products:  Paper towels, Napkins, Face tissue, Paper/ plastic plates & Utensils. * Towels & Linens (all sizes): Bath towels, Face towels, Bed sheets etc.

DONATE FINANCES: Because our team is entirely unpaid (including everyone in the entire organization) and because we already have on hand a great deal of equipment, financial gifts go far to providing our needs for maintenance, equipment, fuel and supplies.  If you would like to support this outreach, make a financial gift and indicate that you would like your gift to be designated for “disaster relief” click here to make a contribution.  With funds for maintenance and fuel, we can be ready to roll when we are called into action.

READY TO RESPOND

When a situation calls for Friend Ships services, we are uniquely set up to respond like none other!  Major problems face relief workers when arriving into an affected community, problems such as where to sleep and where to purchase fuel for vehicles and equipment.  Generally no hotels are in service, all power is knocked out, water cannot be safely used, and there are no grocery stores or gas stations in service.

Friend Ships disaster relief ships, Hope and Mersea, sail into the nearest port, each capable of housing 50 or more people, providing food service, refrigeration, showers, air conditioning and all else needed to support a large team of people.  In addition, the ships carry fuel, fresh water, tons of needed equipment and supplies including food, bottled water, generators, hygiene and cleaning supplies.  The ships deliver our response equipment including jet helicopter, Eagle One, cook kitchens, water purifiers, mobile water tanks, 6 x 6 delivery trucks, small boats, tents, mobile medical clinics, heavy duty tarp material, mobile hi-speed broadband for internet access and an FM emergency radio broadcasting station.

THE TEAM

God has given us equipment and now what we need more than anything is people. They are the jewels. People and their willingness to give of themselves and bless the poor is what allows God to respond with miracles-His response to your faith to step out and do something for Him. People are the jewels, the most important element of Friend Ships Disaster Relief. People are what makes it all happen, people full of the love of God, compassion for others and with servants hearts!   Friend Ships has a full time volunteer crew to direct and man the various outreaches.  In addition, when responding to a disaster here in the US, we utilize hundreds of volunteers who come from around the country to participate in helping their neighbor in need.  What a most rewarding experience this can be!  Click here to read some experiences of 2005 Katrina/Rita volunteers.

PRAYER: Pray for our success, safety, needs met, lives touched and people encouraged! Sign up to receive our Special Forces email letter for current prayer needs.

When a disaster occurs and Friend Ships responds, check our website for daily reports, prayer needs, updates, photos and a current list of what is needed.

Some disasters will occur for which Friend Ships help is not appropriate, either because other response groups are closer to the situation, others are more suited to respond or because the help we offer is not needed in that particular situation.  We will not respond in those cases, but commit to making the best use of donor support by responding when our specific services are required and we feel led by God that our work will be effective and blessed.

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October 2007