Re posting of a F.E.M.A. News Release

Praise the LORD!!!
  
   This is a re posting of an important article from F.E.M.A. and something I believe everyone, especially those along the gulf coast, should take into consideration. We never know when or where an emergency will take place, so being prepared is the best remedy.

May 24, 2010
No.: HQ-10-110
Contact: FEMA News Desk 202-646-3272

News Release

FEMA ADMINISTRATOR FUGATE MARKS THE BEGINNING OF NATIONAL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are partnering during National Hurricane Preparedness Week to share valuable hurricane preparedness information.  FEMA continues to work with state, local, tribal, federal and private sector partners to increase preparedness and coordinate response and recovery in the case of a hurricane or disaster.  FEMA also urges Americans to use this week as an annual reminder to assess their personal readiness to respond to emergencies.
President Obama recently designated May 23-29, 2010, as National Hurricane Preparedness Week, and called upon all Americans, especially those in hurricane prone areas, to learn more about protecting themselves against hurricanes and to work together to respond to them.
The Presidential Proclamation is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-hurricane-preparedness-week.
"We never know where the next hurricane or disaster will strike, but we know that the more we do to prepare now, the better the outcome will be," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.  "FEMA will continue to work with our private sector, local, state, tribal and federal partners to ensure that we are prepared, but it is also important that all Americans take the necessary steps now- like developing a family disaster plan - before a hurricane or disaster strikes."
"Regardless of the number of storms that may form this season, make your preparation plans with the idea that is the year you will be struck," said Bill Read, director of NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Everyone, including those living outside of hurricane-risk areas, should check personal preparations such as emergency kit supplies, note messages from local emergency officials, and rehearse emergency evacuation routes.
Important items to have ready in case of an emergency include a battery-powered radio (like a NOAA Weather Radio), flashlight, extra batteries, medicines, non-perishable food, hand-operated can opener, utility knife and first aid supplies. Copy and store your important documents in a waterproof bag.  These may include medical records, contracts, property deeds, leases, banking records, insurance records and birth certificates.
This is the time to consider potential needs of everyone in the household during an emergency. If your household includes a person with a disability, special steps to assist them may be necessary and should be considered now.
Pets also require special handling. They may become agitated during the onset of a storm, so a pet carrier is a must for safe travel.  Pet owners should research pet boarding facilities now within a certain radius of where you may evacuate, since animals may not be welcome in all shelters or hotels.  
Take steps now to purchase a flood insurance policy. Not only are homes and businesses in hurricane-prone states at risk for flood, but inland flooding is common in nearby states.  To assess flood risk for your home or find a local agent selling national flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov or call toll-free at 1-888-379-9531.
FEMA continues to support the coordinated federal response to the BP oil spill, and this season's hurricane planning has involved consideration of the effects that the BP oil spill could have on the response capabilities and recovery scenarios. 
The Atlantic and Central Pacific Hurricane Season runs from June 1-November 30. The Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season started on May 15. 
For more preparedness information, please visit www.Ready.gov. 
For information about National Hurricane Preparedness Week, visit http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_season10.shtm
The Presidential Proclamation, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-hurricane-preparedness-week.
 
 
Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femainfocus, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only.  FEMA does not endorse any non-government Web sites, companies or applications.
 
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

New 'branch' for the 'VINE'

Praise the LORD!!!
   As of yesterday, I'm being led to start another new branch for the ministry. This one will be international in scope. Vine Ministerial Network International (V.M.N.I.) will be its name. It will be multifunctional in actions. There will be evangelism outreaches to many countries around the globe, discipleship training schools, along with the standard disaster relief operations.
   This has me a bit stifled. Because currently I'm living in a host family's home, with a backpack full of clothes, a few hand tools and this ancient computer system (that freezes up typing emails:)) You can count on the fact that I've been talking a great deal with the LORD over this matter and the answer keeps coming back, 'trust in ME!' If there is one thing that I truly do, that is trust GOD!!! All the things HE's done throughout my life are amazing, it boggles my mind to think I waited so long to turn the controls over to HIM! I was 39 and had lived 26 of it in heavy drug use and all sorts of sinful behavior. More details on this can be found in my book "Out of the LIGHT" at the ministry's website, so I'll not go into it all here. To say the least, I wasn't one that you'd think would ever be successful, let alone running an international Christian helps ministry. GOD can surely amaze us at times.
   Since the LORD opened my eyes to HIS calling in '95' I've totally given HIM the control over what I do. The results can be seen by doing a online search of my name or that of the ministry. Ever little detail of it has been at the LORD's leading, even the prayers and the few games I play to relax. Now I'm no computer guru, not even close, but I've been highly blessed to produce the ministry's website, all by myself. To date almost everything I've done has been 100% done by these hands and feet that the LORD has blessed me with. All moneys, well 98% of, have come from my own pockets through work that I've done outside the ministry.
   Yet with all this being said and done, there are three people at this moment working on translating my book into a foreign tongue. I've been asked to come to two nations, Liberia and India, to preach and evangelize. Through one of these two men has come the formulation of this branch of the ministry, to open the door for it by having it legalized before his government. Now the fact that VCM was going to be a world reaching ministry isn't new to me, but when I've not even yet begun to break ground on that part of it here in the states!
   There are hundreds of details that have yet to be taken care of here, let alone those that will come with the addition of an international branch.I spent several hours today, walking around the house talking with GOD, bearing my soul to HIM (there's no one home but me.) I talk to GOD like I would my earthly father, with respect and straight from the heart. If something has distressed me, I let HIM know it and this has me a bit stirred up. As I said though, the answers keep coming back the same, "Trust in ME." There is truly only one that I trust anymore, for I don't even trust myself, that is GOD and GOD alone. So I guess what I'm saying is, Vine of CHRIST Ministries is going international, with it's branch Vine Ministerial Network International !!!

Christian helps?

   Praise the LORD!!!
    Christian helps? Christian helps ministry? What exactly do these two mean? To start out we as Christian are told to "love our neighbors as we love ourselves" and "that the world will know us by our works." As Christians we are called to show the love of CHRIST to others by show them our for them, to them. How can we show a person we love them? In the same way that we show love for ourselves, by the way we take care of them. Do we place them before ourselves and aid them in their lives struggles and we would pray that others would reach out to us? Do we take the time to lend a listening ear when they've something burdening their soul? Do we give to them as we'd wish someone would give to us when we are down and out? Boy, that sure is a lot of questions isn't it?
   Vine of CHRIST Ministries is trying to fulfill all of these questions in every second of the ministry's existence. During the '05' hurricane season, I had one family that was displaced by hurricane Katrina living with us, when Rita began to bear down on us (we lived at the time in Iowa, LA.) As the storm began to draw nearer to the coast, I decided to ship my friends and these people off to the north, to stay behind and ride out the storm with my dog. You see, we had a seven person van and there was five of us, plus my 100 lb. dog, and the two of them and their cat. With all the needed supplies and people, all of us going would not of worked out, so off they all went and I battened down the hatches on the little farm shanty that we were renting.
   To say the least it was a very, very exciting ride! 165 to 185 mile per hour winds, torrential rain and so many tornadoes that they couldn't be counted. After nearly 24 hours of being housebound I was finally able to go outside. A once over on the shanty and off I went to survey the damage to my neighbors homes and the local infrastructure. I commandeered my neighbors riding lawnmower and off I went (I knew this would be fine, because I used it to mow theirs and our yards all the time.) There was no one else around within a half mile of the house. A good amount of structural damage to a number of the houses and a lot of tree damage. All the power was out in the area, but we were blessed to have a working city water system still functioning.
   There wasn't much that could be done at the moment, so I returned to work on weatherizing our place. It was missing several metal roof panels and half of the shingles on the back side of the hose. I covered these the best I could with plastic and moved as much of the personal belongs out of harms way. At this I began to formulate a plan as to all the supplies available to me and how to ration them in the best  possible manor. No one else was in the area at this time, but I began to reckon how to help anyone else that would show up.
   It wasn't until the third day that neighbors began to return to their homes and this was because there were police barricades on the major roads into the area. I had marked the house with spray paint before the storm, so officials would know how many had stayed behind. It wasn't until this third day that I saw any of the local police or emergency workers, but I was managing fine. As neighbors began to show up, I'd stop in and check on them, telling them that I was available when they needed any help and at all. Things began to progress quickly, trees that had fallen were cut up and moved. Debris was piled up out of the way and anything that was displaced was either returned to its location or put where it could be found.
   Shortly people began to venture out towards Lake Charles, working to find needed supplies of whatever kind they could. One day we had 580 lbs. of some fine Cajun smoked sausage given to us, because it had been in a local store's fridges which had lost power, so it couldn't be sold. I was riding around still on the mower giving out trash bags full of this stuff, it didn't need refrigeration, so it could be cooked or eaten anyway you could think of. The people in this area pulled together and though the damage was widespread they worked together to help out each other until the job was done and everyone's lives return something close to normal.
   In this most of those questions were answered. Christian helps and a helps ministry gets out there and does whatever it takes to help people in their time of need. It doesn't matter if its a major storm  like these, or just an everyday problem. Its Christians reaching out to others to show that the care about them and love them as CHRIST loves us!!!