God in the rubble

God in the Rubble: GetReligion blog links to a Texas story in the DallasNews about the aftermath of a tornado in Texas, and tells the story of how churches and church groups were first responders. Here is one of the examples they noted:

...nearby on Schrade Road, the twister showed no mercy. It left neighbors amid rubble and in the dark.
Cornerstone had generators. Hiatt grabbed a string of white Christmas lights and slung them under the awning of the front building.
“I plugged them in so we could at least give a beacon of light to let people know we were here,” he said.
Only a father and son sought refuge in the church gym. But in the days that followed, Cornerstone and other Rowlett sanctuaries transformed into busy relief centers. All week, volunteers delivered meals to tornado victims and dispensed tubs filled with groceries and cleaning supplies. First responders came, too, looking for a place to rest.
As they filled immediate physical needs, churches also worked on giving people spiritual direction. The rash of tornadoes Dec. 26 killed 11 people in Dallas and Collin counties and left many homeless. What to make of this tragedy?

Actually, this is common in emergencies in the USA. When Katrina hit, several churches in our tiny Oklahoma town gathered supplies and healthy teenagers and scooted down to Louisiana to help. Others housed relatives and friends.

Here in the Philippines, evacuees usually go first to family members, then to friend's houses, and only the most destitute or those whose entire village was destroyed or flooded, go to evacuation centers.

But the NGO's and UN or in the USA, FEMA, who come later get all the publicity, of course. Their help is needed, especially for recovery. But the MSM in the USA fail to notice local help does a lot of the work, because they won't get as nice headlines.