SCIENTOLOGY VOLUNTEER MINISTERS
HURRICANE DISASTER RELIEF

October 29^th, 2005

Scientology Volunteer Ministers arrive in Santiago Atitlàn and work with the Red Cross and other relief agencies to restore order following Hurricane Stan.

Volunteer Ministers train other emergency response personnel in simple techniques from the Scientology Handbook to relieve trauma.

Santiago Atitlàn volunteers are proud of the work they have done to help this community.

The Scientology Disaster Relief Team help unload supplies for the evacuees.

Hurricane Wilma

In the worst hurricane season in recorded history, Hurricane Wilma seemed almost inconsequential, compared to Katrina, Rita and Stan. But two days after it hit, 5 million Floridians are still without power and estimates of as much as $1 billion in damage to Florida farms is predicted because of the storm.

Although many of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers from Florida have only recently returned home from helping in Louisiana and Mississippi for the past two months, teams of these volunteers from the Churches of Scientology of Tampa, Orlando and Miami have now been formed up in West Palm Beach and Miami, where they are working with the National Guard, distributing food and goods.

Hurricane Stan

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are continuing to help those affected by Hurricane Stan. Two groups of volunteers were assembled shortly after Hurricane Stan hit on October 4, 2005, one team in Quetzaltenango and another in Solala, two areas that needed immediate help.

As 90% of the Quetzaltenango evacuees have now been relocated in temporary housing or returned to their homes, operations in Guatemala have now moved to Santiago, one of the hardest-hit towns in the region.

“Guatemala posed new challenges to us,” said Mr. Real Laplaine, the International Coordinator of Volunteer Minister Disaster Relief. “Transportation was so disrupted that we had to rely almost exclusively on local Scientologists to form up our teams, so we trained local residents in the disaster relief techniques we use. But this has been very rewarding. Not only have we been able to help those most affected by the hurricane, but we now have many new Volunteer Ministers who will be able to continue to help in their communities long after the immediate affects of the disaster are over.”

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

The concentration in Louisiana and Mississippi has now shifted from disaster relief to helping local residents rebuild their lives, with seminars and workshops now planned based on chapters of the Scientology Handbook: “Tools for the Workplace,” to help small business owners whose livelihoods have been put in jeopardy by the storms; and, “The Technology of Study,” to help reverse the low level of literacy in these areas.

If you can help with donations or wish to volunteer time, call the VM Hotline 1-800-435-7498 (US & Canada) or from outside North America call 1-323-960-1949 or e-mail vm@volunteerministers.org

For more information: Scientology Volunteer Ministers News