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Archive - Article 57
Flood Waters Hampers Operation Compassion
5/9/03
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Flood water
rises against the
Operation compassion warehouse.
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When the tornadoes hit Sunday evening and torrential
rains began on Monday, Operation Compassion staff knew it would
be a difficult
and busy week. However, no one knew how challenging it would
ultimately become.
By Tuesday morning over six inches of rain had fallen in Cleveland,
TN and the surrounding area causing streams and creeks to overflow
into raging rivers of churning water. Staff at Operation Compassion’s
warehouse in Cleveland began to notice the road filling with water.
At first, it appeared the storm drains would handle the water
flow successfully. However, it did not take long for the drains
to be overwhelmed and water began to back up. Within a couple of
hours there were two feet of water standing between the warehouse
staff and dry ground. David Lorency, International Field Director
of Operation Compassion, closed the warehouse sending workers home.
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The entire
area around the warehouse faced high water.
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By noon on Tuesday, there was four and one half feet of water
in the roadway and it was rising. The water was within two feet
of rising above the dock floor and seeping into the warehouse.
David Lorency and Tim Burdashaw, Development Director of Operation
Compassion, watched and prayed. It truly was a disaster in the
making!
Operation Compassion had committed emergency relief supplies to
areas across the nation and now the main warehouse was being besieged.
Suddenly, the rains stopped almost as abruptly as they had started.
The sun tried to shine! Over the next several hours, the floodwaters
began to recede. By that evening, Operation Compassion was able
to gain access to the warehouse and load semi trucks headed for
other disaster sites.
However, the danger of flooding had not passed. During the night,
torrential rains again fell and by morning the floodwater had risen
to the same depth as on Tuesday. The warehouse was closed again.
David Lorency and his staff stood by and watched as the waters
continued to rise.
By the time the rains stopped, mid-day Wednesday, Cleveland had
received over one foot of rain. What developed from this storm
system was some of the worst flooding in thirty years. Thankfully,
there was no loss of life related to the flooding.
Operation Compassion had weathered a disaster at its own site
and continued to service other disaster sites at the same time.
Never before, in the history of Operation Compassion, had disastrous
conditions affected emergency relief efforts. In commenting on
this unique situation, David Lorency said, “While the warehouse
had to be closed for a short time on two occasions, it was good
to know what can be done. No product was lost and only one semi
truck was delayed by s couple of hours. Through it all, the warehouse
staff did an excellent job under adverse conditions.”
While the flooding was averted at the Cleveland warehouse, there
are still many that are suffering from the continued outbreak of
severe weather. Since Sunday, May 4, 2003, more than 250 tornadoes
have touched down across the United States. Disaster relief efforts
are ongoing across the affected areas. The disaster relief fund
of Operation Compassion has quickly diminished.
Financial support for all these disaster relief efforts can be
directly sent to Operation Compassion. Product donation, volunteers
or other inquiries can call the office.
Tim Burdashaw
Communications
John D. Nichols, President
Operation Compassion
Anyone interested in donating finances or products or providing
a corporate lead may contact:
Operation Compassion
David Lorency, International Field Director
114 Stuart Road, NE
Suite 370
Cleveland, TN 37312
423.728.3932 - Office
423.596.4200 - Fax
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