Herbert W Armstrong

Savannah

Hurricane David hit the Savannah area September 5. The Savannah Mayor John P. Rousakis said, "We expected the worst and were grateful that there were no fatalities. David was no gentleman. He was mean, but not devastating.

Savannah had looked Hurricane David in the eye and survived. Most of the complications were power blackouts, telephone service failure and dangling live electrical wires. About 60,000 homes were without electricity and an estimated 90 homes in the surrounding area were damaged by falling trees.

All of the motels reserved in the area survived, so, everyone's housing reservations in the area remain undisturbed. The storm damaged about 4,000 square feet of roofing on the Civic Center building which we use for Festival services, causing water to gush into the theater balcony and orchestra pit. However, the Chamber of Commerce has assured us that this damage is being fully repaired and will in no wise affect our services or activities there.

Biloxi

This area was hit by Hurricane Frederic on September 12 — exactly 10 years to the day that the same area was devastated by Hurricane Camille. When Frederic hit Biloxi, it was a more severe storm than David was at the time it struck Savannah. The auditorium survived undamaged, but we have lost the use of several motels in the Biloxi area.

The area just to the east of Biloxi, including Mobile, Alabama, received the worst destruction from the storm. Only one of the motels we have lost was actually destroyed by Frederic. The others, interestingly enough, have been confiscated by the Emergency Preparedness Crews and will not be available for at least two months.

PLEASE ANNOUNCE that numerous church families attending in Biloxi will have to be reassigned housing in other facilities. We are presently attempting to contact the area but are hampered by phone lines which are still out of order. Only today (Monday, September 17) have we been able to get in touch with anyone by phone in that area. It no doubt will be necessary for A1 Garrett, our Biloxi Housing Officer, to make a special trip to Biloxi to replace the housing units we have lost and examine the others to be sure they are suitable for church members attending the Festival.

Please encourage everyone attending Biloxi to be patient. By the next Pastor General's Report we will be able to announce the motels we have lost and the procedure we will be using to notify members concerning their new housing assignments.

Sherwin McMichael, Festival Dept.