Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Hurricane Ian’s impact on the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States isn’t projected to hit the area as hard as Florida, however several inches of rain are forecast for Virginia, says Bob Mitchell, Adventist Community Services (ACS) and Disaster Relief coordinator for the Potomac Conference.

“Are you ready to care for yourself, your family and your neighbors during and following whatever Hurricane Ian brings to our area?” asked Mitchell in an ACS newsletter sent on Wednesday. “While the rain forecast for the Potomac Conference region varies from two inches to four inches, any damage to a family's home is significant and presents us with the opportunity to meet some of their needs.”

Story by Courtney Dove

Kettering College has been awarded a grant aimed at creating and implementing a comprehensive education program for community health workers in Dayton, Ohio. The funding will be effective immediately through September of 2025, awarding $1,847,399 to the university.  

Community health workers (CHWs) are grassroots health workers who live in the communities they serve. They work with their friends, families, and neighbors to bring reliable health information and services to under-resourced communities. This is especially true for communities that are predominately minorities. 

Story by Iris Argueta

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is preparing to launch a national emergency management plan (NEMP) in South Sudan to assist the hundreds of thousands of families, children, and individual people affected by the catastrophic floods. ADRA emergency experts have been on the ground inspecting flood-affected villages and realigning their existing programs to meet the current humanitarian needs. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), massive heavy rains have killed dozens of people, displaced almost one million South Sudanese, and submerged entire communities across the country.

Story by Tamyra Horst