The Villages was not a disaster area. If you have been reading the threads you know that very few people report even minor damage to their homes. Are you aware of some unmet need for shelter, aid, or sustenance in The Villages?
With regard to Winn Dixie trashing meats, I don't believe they were "expired" meats, but rather spoiled meats. It is likely that the store lost electrical power and the meat thawed. When that happens the store is obligated to destroy the meat. Even if power is restored, they cannot allow the meat to be re-frozen and kept.
For over 30 years my son was a refrigeration technician, servicing major supermarkets. He tells me that a few years ago, after experiencing great losses when a store lost power, it became policy in Publix stores to invest in an emergency generator for each store to keep the frozen cases intact during a power loss.
Also, with regard to churches providing aid during disasters, you need to know that the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief program is one of the three largest and most active non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the nation. The other two are the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
The Baptist disaster relief teams include chain saw teams for clearing fallen trees off of people's homes; mud-out teams for putting blue tarps on damaged roofs and cleaning out homes damaged by rising water; sanitation teams that bring trailers containing portable toilets and clothes washers and driers; water purification teams that take local water which might be contaminated and by using filters and chemicals making it drinkable; professional electricians who work to restore electrical service; and semi-trailers holding complete professional kitchens which can produce thousands of meals each day for delivery to people in Emergency Shelters, and also communications teams which coordinate the work of all the foregoing teams through the use of Amateur (Ham) Radio by federally licensed operators. (I am one.)
They also bring massive generators to provide electrical power for the encampment that bringing in all of these teams and their equipment involves.
It often goes something like this: the Red Cross administers emergency shelters. The Salvation Army delivers food to the Baptists who prepare it in their kitchens, and then the Salvation Army delivers the meals to the shelters.
At the same time, the other teams that provide services in the main to homeowners in distress due to fallen trees or rising waters are out providing their services.
When word of the impending strike of hurricane Harvey to the Texas coast became known, thousands of Texas Southern Baptists immediately prepared to respond to the disaster. Much of their communications in preparation were on Ham radio, which I could monitor. In fact, teams from my church in Tampa began preparing to head for Texas, but their plans changed when we realized what a menace to Florida the hurricane Irma had become.
The protocol is that Southern Baptists from the affected state respond first. Baptists come from other states upon request.
All of these people are Volunteers. There are a few full time employees of the State Conventions to provide continuity of operations and activation of resources, but the Volunteers are not only unpaid; they pay their own way to get to the place where they will work. They accept no money from the people who they help. Their motivation is to demonstrate the Love of Jesus in action.
As I said, the Southern Baptists are one of the "big three" NGOs, and I'll bet that until today you never heard of them.
Disaster Relief Overview |
NAMB