- November 8, 2024
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The call was brief -- at $3 a minute it had to be – but it was important to Dr. Paul Whisnant, the Belize Mission Director for International Servants,Citizen Liaison for the US Embassy in Belize, and a former resident of Palm Coast, to get the word out about the devastation Hurricane Earl has left in its path. The storm came ashore in Belize, early this morning, Thursday, Aug. 4.
International Servants, also known as iServants, is a nonprofit Christian mission that helps children and families in more than 100 villages in Belize, was founded by Whisnant in 1990.
“We are still assessing the damage,” Whisnant said, only hours after landfall. “It was only a Category 1, but the damage, especially to the poorer sections is great.”
Whisnant said, that while the tourist district was directly hit, the structures are able to withstand the damage far better than what he described as, “rickety houses, many with thatched roofs,” that are homes for much of the population.
Standing on top of the Radisson Hotel, Whisnant took photos of the tourist district; that most cruise travelers are familiar with, itself under several feet of water.
There are 150 iServant volunteers in the country, and as of this morning, Whisnant had not heard from much of his staff. He is working with NEMO (the National Emergency Management Organization of Belize), and trying to get the word out about a hurricane that many in the U.S. may not even know about.
“My greatest aim is to help the poor who have lost everything,” Whisnant said.
Prayers are being asked for, and those wanting to help financially, can go to www.iServants.com/Donate
