On the heels of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster to ever hit Pakistan struck on October 8th, 2005. In just 3 minutes this earthquake killed over 70,000 and left 3.5 million homeless.
O maha Rapid Response sent a team to work among the people setting up a field hospital, water purification system and meeting with village leaders to see what each family needed so we could purchase basic needs, such as blankets, stoves, pots and pans and hundreds of corrugated metal sheets to begin rebuilding their homes.
In the hospital women were able to be seen because we had female nurses. Prior to this time since the culture does not allow such things, women were unable to be checked by a male doctor.
Our team brought hats, socks and gloves to give out. We found a group of children attending school in the open air because their school had been destroyed, there were exactly enough to give one to each child. We hope to go back and help rebuild schools, have more medical clinics and see if we can supply the people with more of their needs.
The Winters in the mountainous regiouns of Pakistan can be very cold and snowy. With thier homes in ruins, villagers are left vulnerable to the elements. In addition to gloves and hats, we were able to supply many with warm blankets to help them through the harsh winter.
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In 2004 Hurricanes Charlie and Frances struck the United States causing Billions of dollars of damage, leaving people homeless or with damaged homes. A team from ORR worked along side other NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), along with FEMA. We worked in the shelters as we rode out Hurricane Frances in Port Charlotte. After the storms we worked placing people in FEMA trailers as well as light clean up.
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On May 22, 2004 a very powerful thunderstorm system spawned what was later know as the Hallam Tornado. This Tornado was classified as a F3 on a scale that goes up to F5. At it's widest and most powerful, the Tornado was over a mile wide. The storm hit the small town of Hallam, Nebraska head on nearly wiping it off the map. On the day after the Hallam Tornado, ORR worked with the Red Cross helping residents return to their destroyed city. We helped them sort through what was left of their homes for belongings and served food to the residents and relief workers.
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Omaha Rapid Response teamed up with Samaritan's Purse to help with clean up after Hurricane Isabel Struck North Carolina in September of 2003. Leslie Hogberg and Ginny Inclan in North Carolina during relief efforts after Hurricane Isabel.
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In the morning of September 11th, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City. Flying commercial airliners into the trade centers, the terrorists killed thousands of people along with the destruction of the twin towers. 9-11 became Omaha Rapid Responses first disaster response. ORR dispatched a team of people who offered comfort and prayer to the people affected by this disaster. Those killed on that day were not the only victims. There were thousands of people who lost loved ones or who were simply terrified by the experience. We prayed with them and hugged them, offering a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of everyday people near ground zero, we prayed with and listen to citizens, police and firemen as they told us their stories.
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