The third major storm to hit Mexico this hurricane season has left an already weakened infrastructure reeling. Hurricane Raymond careened toward Mexico’s Pacific coast threatening new flooding in Acapulco, still recovering from September’s heavy rains.
The country suffered the worst flooding on record when tropical storms Manuel and Ingrid converged on Mexico, killing more than 150 and causing damage estimated at $6 billion. According to Reuters news service, some 5,700 people are still in shelters in Acapulco due to the impact of those storms.
While Scientology Volunteer Ministers providing disaster response in the area readied themselves to cope with Raymond’s aftermath, the National Scientology Organization of Mexico set up a collection center for new supplies to ship to the flood zone.
Volunteer Ministers began their Guerrero disaster response as soon as September’s storms hit. The National Scientology Organization of Mexico immediately established a disaster response staging area on its premises to plan their response and collect relief supplies.
First to leave for Guerrero was the well-known Mexican “Los Topos” rescue team. Trained in Volunteer Minister disaster response in addition to their own search and rescue technology, Los Topos carried out the search for survivors and fatalities lost under the mountains of mud that virtually buried the entire village of La Pintada.
Next, dozens of Scientology Volunteer Ministers arrived in Guerrero, to distribute supplies to those stranded by the storms and work in shelters to help those left homeless.
Equipped with effective technology to resolve virtually any difficulty, Volunteer Ministers live by the motto: “No matter the problem, something can be done about it.”
In creating the Volunteer Ministers program, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a Volunteer Minister and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”