Hurricane Katrina 2005
10 YR Anniversary
Ten years after the devastating disaster, Matthew 25: Ministries remembers Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in August of 2005. Katrina was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. More than 1,800 people died in the hurricane and aftermath. The category 5 storm impacted about 90,000 square miles and affected over 15 million people in multiple states.
Matthew 25: Ministries responded within a week of the disaster with an advance team and truckloads of aid for the devastated region. Over the course of the next four months 90 truckloads of aid (2,300,000 pounds) left Matthew 25’s Blue Ash location headed for relief centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia. In total, Matthew 25 shipped 140 truckloads (over 3,500,000 pounds) of aid valued at more than $5,000,000 to the disaster region.
Although Matthew 25: Ministries had been responding to international disasters since 1998, Hurricane Katrina marked the ministry’s first major response to a domestic disaster. Since 2005, Matthew 25 has continued to develop its domestic disaster response program, adding specialized disaster relief vehicles including three customized pick-up trucks, two co-branded delivery trucks and an ice maker capable of producing 10,000 pounds of ice a day. Since 2005, Matthew 25 has responded to dozens of domestic disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, chemical spills and droughts in multiple states including the Oklahoma and Joplin tornadoes, Hurricane Ike and Superstorm Sandy. Since 2005, Matthew 25 has distributed 492 truckloads (11,987,807 of products valued at $36,727,117) to domestic disaster relief locations.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were affected by this disaster ten years ago, including those who may still be in the process of recovering and rebuilding their lives.
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