Hurricanes Irma and José: Updates
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11 September 2017—Over the past week, Hurricanes Irma and José have swept through the Caribbean, leaving devastation in their wake. Currently, Irma is fading slowly.
Two Global Strategy missionaries were hunkered down in Florida during Hurricane Irma. Kelley Philips, who is on home assignment and is based in Florida, is safe and doing well. Alejandro and Carmen de Francisco also weathered the storm without problem. Please do pray for the De Franciscos as they are scheduled to fly out of Miami to Madrid, Spain, tomorrow (Tuesday) for a prefield visit. Currently, it’s not clear whether flights will resume out of the Miami airport by tomorrow.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the many family members, missions supporters, and congregations in Florida who were hit hard by Irma. Please continue to lift up in prayer all of those affected.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic were both spared the severe battering that Cuba received, though both nations experienced strong rains, wind, and some flooding. Mark Fulton and local staff sheltered in place at the hospital in St. Ard, Haiti. The hospital had some minor water and roof damage. The hospital is gearing up for post-storm illnesses.
Dave Miller is monitoring news about the Church of God in Cuba. He has received the first news earlier today from friends in Cuba since the storm hit last week. The extent of the damage is still unknown, however. Given that Cuba received the full brunt of a category 5 storm, we expect to hear of significant damage.
There are Church of God congregations in Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Virgin Islands, all of which were battered by Irma. As of now, we have received few updates from the churches there. On Saturday, Ivor Davis of the Church of God in Antigua and Barbuda wrote that the church in Antigua experienced no damage or loss of life.
If you are interested in helping, consider giving to the Disaster Relief Fund. The Disaster Relief Committee at Church of God Ministries works with regional pastors, states leaders, and national leaders to identify needs. To give, visit give.jesusisthesubject.org/disasterrelief.
Note: If you have any updates, please use the floating email icon on the right side of the page to contact us.
