This was an email alert sent by Tom Glessner, President of NIFLA, this morning:
From: NIFLAMbrSvcs@aol.com Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 8:40 AM To: NIFLAMember@aol.com Subject: NIFLA: URGENT PLEA!Dear NIFLA Member,
I am writing to you to ask for your immediate help for our sister pregnancy centers that have been devastated by the recent hurricane that engulfed Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabamba.
Dorothy Wallis, NIFLA board member and pregnancy center director in Baton Rouge has reported of the devastation. Baton Rouge has become a refuge camp and Dorothy's pregnancy center is now a distribution center for the many needy. She writes the following plea to me:
Tom,
This is beyond belief! I have never seen anything like this in my life. Military helicopters flying by constantly (like the old MASH incoming wounded copters), destitute people stopped by the interstate, no food, no home and many have lost loved ones who failed to heed the warning to comply with a mandatory evacuation. All I can say is Help!!!! We need help.
They are calling New Orleans a "Black Hole." Since five Pregnancy Resources Centers in the Greater New Orleans and Slidell areas have become virtual black holes, and all of St. Tammany Parish is closed, Pregnancy Resource Centers in those areas are no longer available to meet the needs of their abortion vulnerable population who have evacuated to greater Baton Rouge. The cell phones are dead or either jammed. I have desperately been trying to call my fellow directors to make sure that they are okay.
I have heard from Kay, the director in New Orleans who fled to Houston. Her three clinics are under water. The La Place center has water damage and I still have not been able to reach Emily. In New Orleans, Susan nor her staff can be reached.
I have connected with Browne's daughter and she said that they are awaiting news on how bad their damage is.
As for Covington and Slidell, I have been trying to call Cindy and Rachel via cells since Monday to no avail.
As for Tangipahoa, there is certain wind, tree and flood damage that could prevent any assistance in these areas for at least eight weeks.
New Orleans refugees are being told that the city is completely submerged, and the earliest they will be allowed back in the city is three months. Even then, their will be no home or sentimental possessions to return to. Tom, I will keep you abreast when I hear from everyone.
Ona side note, please pray for me. In our local maternity wards mothers are delivering in the hall ways. The hospitals are sending their post delivery patients to us for care. The American Red Cross sent 8 families today. The Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Baton Rouge are now responsible for meeting the needs of refugee women and children.
Caring to Love Ministries and the Care Pregnancy Clinic is quickly supplying the demands of many of the families seeking the much needed assistance. But we cannot do it without your help! I am grateful to Michelle Sigler who called me today from New Beginnings CPC in West Virginia. She is in the process of sending 2 empty semi's with diapers, formulas, wipes and water to us. Thank God for her!
I felt the need to ask you and NIFLA for help! I have set up a special Hurricane Relief Fund for on line donations via paypal at www.ctlm.org.
In addition to the Hurricane crisis, in six weeks many will be experiencing a crisis pregnancy and we need to be there for them. The abortion clinics prey on the young girls that are vulnerable in crisis situations. New Orleans had 5 Abortion clinics, with us having one and a half. We need to make our presence known to a dislocated population in excess of 1 million. Again, please pray for me as we rise to the occasion. Help!
Again, donations for the Hurricane Relief Fund are setup through our website at www.ctlm.org. Donated funds can be paid via paypal. Our physical address is 3813 N. Flannery Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70814.
Thank you,
Dorothy Wallis
President CEO
Caring to Love Ministries
dwallis@ctlm.org
225-275-4961
Side note: The paypal site is experiencing a lot of problems right now because the phone lines are down in most of the area. They are working with paypal and encouraging us to continue trying. You can also mail a check to the physical address or give it to me to mail in the package.
Have home, will help.