From: CH.DGR@forsythe.stanford.edu (Daniel Ramirez)
Subject: Hurricane Andrew Relief
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 06:53:26 GMT


Colegas:  The following is for your information.  Thanks for any
support you can send back East.  I am very familiar with Rev.
Sanchez' work and can vouchsafe for this operation's integrity.  --
Dan Ramirez

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Daniel Ramirez (415) 725-2655
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   LATINO CHURCHES ORGANIZING FOR HURRICANE ANDREW RELIEF

A small network of Latino churches is struggling to meet the
disaster needs of the community of Homestead, Florida, in the wake
of the devastating Hurrican Andrew that hit southern Florida on
August 24.  The Apostolic Assembly church, a predominately Latino
Pentecostal denomination, has a young mission in Homestead, which
has been dependent on the church in Miami.  As news reports have
shown, the town was totally devastated, including the mission.  All
parishioners lost their homes.

The Apostolic Assembly churches in central and northern Florida
mobilized in the path of Hurricane Andrew to prepare for the
disaster.  Rev. Eliseo Sanchez, who has planted several churches
among Mexican farmworkers in Florida and other southeastern states,
visited Homestead before Andrew struck, and began to plan relief
operations with city authorities, who are now operating out of a
one-room building.  The church sprung into operation immediately in
the wake of the hurricane, setting up warehouse operations where
volunteers packaged relief and food supplies according to familys'
specific need (e.g., baby formula, diapers, etc.) for delivery.  "We
were better organized than the Red Cross," said Rev. Sanchez.
Indeed, national news reports showed footage of official and Red
Cross provisions being blown about in the wind or soaking in flood
water.  Immediate needs for food, clothing and water have been met,
according to Sanchez.  Renters have been relocated to South Miami,
and homeowners are gearing up to begin repairing their homes.

Unfortunately, in this heavily minority and low-income community,
homeowner's insurance is not as widely held as in more affluent
ones.  In one sad note, an insurance company has denied hurricane
benefits to a policyholder (a church member), saying that the damage
to his house occurred as a result of flood and not hurricane,
ignoring the fact that the floods were caused by Hurricane Andrew.
Nevertheless, the community is determined to rebuild immediately,
with hopes boosted by promises of federal assistance.  Volunteer
carpenters, plumbers and other workers from several Florida churches
have scheduled weekend visits to Homestead to begin construction
work in the community.

The most pressing need now, according to Rev. Sanchez, is financial,
namely to purchase building materials and provide other assistance
for newly unemployed people, whose warehouses, factories and other
places of employment are now closed due to damage.  Donations can be
earmarked for "Disaster Relief," and sent to:

Apostolic Assembly Emergency Fund
P.O. Box 717
Crescent City, FL  32112

This specific, on-the-ground, non-bureaucratic relief operation,
sensitive to the culture and language of the recipients, provides a
unique opportunity for church and community groups to direct their
help in a manner that they can be confident will reach those who
need it the most.

For further information, Rev. Eliseo Sanchez can be reached at
1-800-257-6857.