After making its way across the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ike, known as the major storm of 2008, swept over a large area of Texas on September 13, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Hundreds of thousands of homes were without electricity with more than three million people in Texas left in the dark. There was unbelievable damage to all the residents’ property, after the river receded and deposited large amounts of debris in the roadways and in their front yards.

When Supreme Master Ching Hai heard of the devastation, She lovingly provided US$30,000 for relief aid. Our Association members from Austin, Dallas and Houston Texas formed relief teams. They prepared thousands of aid packages overnight which included water, snacks, cleaning supplies and personal items to help bring a little comfort to the victims. The SOS flyers that were distributed along with the relief articles were also accepted with appreciation.
 

The teams first arrived in Galveston and found most of the evacuees had been moved to local hotels. They then visited the hotels to distribute the much-needed packages and were welcomed with an overwhelming appreciation from all involved. Many of the evacuees stated they had never imagined such a quick response from anyone and were especially grateful to Supreme Master Ching Hai for the unexpected monetary assistance and supplies they each received at the time it was needed most.

As supplies were running low, the relief team contributed an additional US$12,000 to purchase items which would be needed by the neighboring Bridge City and Texas City residents who were returning home from their local shelters. Early the next morning, they went to offer more assistance. The teams’ efforts brought tears of joy from many of the victims as they thanked our Association wholeheartedly. The Executive Vice President of the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce, Mrs. Janelle Sehon, also offered her sincere thanks and appreciation to Supreme Master Ching Hai for providing immediate support and love to their community.

In Houston, the Animal Humane Society was also in need of water, food and other supplies to help all the animals rescued during the hurricane. Our Association members visited the animal shelter and provided them with a gift of US$2,000 to bring some comfort to our animal friends. Even though the shelter was running on generators they managed to care for nearly 500 animals! Mrs. Sherry Ferguson, executive director of the Animal Humane Society, was very familiar with Supreme Master Ching Hai and our Association’s efforts to assist victims of disaster. Others told our team they had heard of Supreme Master Ching Hai and the relief work that was done by Her group during Hurricane Katrina.

Both the relief team members and the hurricane victims were touched by God’s immense love. It is during experiences such as these that God offers everyone a chance to work together in harmony, in order to learn from each other and experience the radiance of Hiers love which resides deep within us all.
 

Expenditures by Supreme Master Ching Hai
and Her International Association
for the Hurricane Relief Work in Texas, USA

To view the Humanitarian Relief Activities by the Supreme Master Ching Hai and Her International Association, please visit: http://www.GodsDirectContact.org.tw/humanitarian
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