(Silver Spring, Maryland) News reports coming out of Haiti describe a devastation of extreme magnitude. The Inter-American Division (IAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in Miami, Florida, is reporting that thousands of Seventh-day Adventist Church members are unaccounted for and there is wide spread destruction to church properties in the affect region. Two of the largest churches in the city of Port-au-Prince are completely destroyed. In addition, damage has been reported to the Adventist University and the hospital has sustained some structural damaged, but is operating in full capacity.
Cesar Medina, ARM Field Services Representative for IAD, was recently in contact with Pastor Filiverto Verduzco, treasurer for IAD, who reports, “Most of the church buildings in Port-au-Prince have collapsed and all of the schools and churches have suffered severe damage. The damages also extend to the church’s union mission headquarters. Although the building has not collapsed, it has sustained substantial structural damage,” says Medina. According to IAD there are more than 470 churches in Haiti. ARM will continue to assess the situation and monitor the activities of the organizations involved in the relief efforts.
As the risk and insurance organization for the church, ARM is preparing to work with insurance claims and the rebuilding of church property in this region. “This is certainly a challenge for our church and we are working very closely with church entities, such as Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and the Inter-American Division,” says Bob Kyte, president for ARM. “We are prepared to work with church officials in assessing damages in accordance with their insurance coverage as soon as it is possible for us to do so.”
“We realize there are many churches and lay organizations anxious to send volunteer groups to Haiti to help with relief efforts,” says Kyte, “but we should remind everyone that the situation in Haiti is still very delicate and we do not want to overwhelm a system that is already exhausted with logistical challenges.” ARM recommends all groups work closely with church leaders in IAD before sending groups into the disaster zone, and plan ahead to include short-term accident insurance protection for all volunteers. This policy is available through the ARM Travel Hub at: www.adventistrisk.org. Adventist Risk Management will continue to provide updates on its work in assisting the church with this disaster.
For those who are interested in sending tangible goods to help the people of Haiti, ADRA is asking that funds be sent to help with relief efforts. They expect to raise more than one million dollars to help expand the emergency work on the ground. For more information on how to donate to ADRA, visit their Web site: www.adra.org/Haiti. To donate through a mobile phone, text the word "ADRA" to 85944, reply "YES" and donate a one-time $10 gift to ADRA's Haiti response.
