Covenant News

Covenant Village of Florida Weathers Storm Well

PLANTATION, FL (September 28, 2004) - All remains calm at Covenant Village of Florida following the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Jeanne in many parts of the state, says campus administrator Judy Johnson.

"I just finished a walk of the campus and we are very grateful for another period of God's protection on our campus," she writes in an emailed update. Johnson recalled the morning Jeanne approached the Florida coast. "When Hurricane Jeanne was not turning, we went into full hurricane mode - shuttering, calling in the 'A Team.' She had grown in intensity and size . . . and Covenant Village of Florida was in the wind field of at least damaging tropical storm and potential hurricane winds. We got residents to eat an early dinner and sent dining staff home early. Later, we had a crew in every building stay the night.

"We had tropical storm winds all night long with wind speeds in excess of 60 mph," Johnson continues. "Rain came in bands, but since we were on the 'dry' side of the hurricane, we didn't experience much flooding."

Damage to the campus was minimal, Johnson reports, limited largely to trees and branches. "Since we lost so much in the last storm (Frances), we didn't have as many vulnerable trees this time," she notes. "We had flooding in three or four apartment balconies due to the driving rain.

"Thanks for all your prayers," she concludes. As I said earlier, we are very grateful."

Efforts continue to assist other tropical areas and islands damaged by the recent storm activity, according to Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief. "We are responding and sending dollars," Sundholm reports, "and we will continue to do so." Sundholm requests that individuals interested in donating to the storm relief effort make checks payable to Covenant World Relief, earmarked for hurricane relief, and send them to Covenant World Relief, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625.

More information will be posted to this online Covenant news report as it becomes available, including an assessment update from Kurt Miericke, superintendent of the Southeast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

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