Tag: food

Hurricane Helene – A Grass-Roots Emergency Response

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Bringing supplies and equipment to help others in a disaster? Learn how to have the biggest and best possible impact with limited resources.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Hurricane Helene caused historic damage to an unlikely location, the hills and mountains of western North Carolina. The flooding and winds surprised many, since hurricanes usually afflict those on the coasts. Not expecting disaster, many inland residents did not prepare. They suffered. Over 230 people are known to be dead, and the estimated damage is over $30 billion.

Our Situation

Churches in the Mountain State Baptist Association (MSBA) learned of the tragedy not only through the media, which can be deceitful, but also through stories from people on the ground. The suffering was real, but just showing up to a devastated area with a trunk (or a tractor-trailer) full of unsolicited stuff is no way to help. The responders may or may not be useful to the victims but will definitely need water, food, fuel, and shelter, which are already in short supply.  As good-hearted as it may be to respond, doing so without coordinating with those on the ground can be worse than useless.

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Consumer Product Safety

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A cautionary tale on a manufacturer who did not stand behind his product. Caveat Emptor, as the buyer needs to beware, and complain when something goes wrong.  

By Mark D. Harris

In my grandfather’s childhood in rural Arkansas, most of the food that he ate and the clothes that he wore were produced at home. His ancestors had built their own houses and furniture for generations, and store-bought goods were rare and expensive. While people knew little about foodborne illnesses and other hazards, they knew where the food and other products in their lives came from.

Such is not the case today. Our plates are filled with Indian rice, Honduran bananas, Japanese fish, or American wheat. We buy shirts from Mexico, cars from Germany, shoes from Italy, or electronics from China. Imported consumer goods are only as safe as the governments and producers in their country of origin require. A report in the New York Times stated,

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