Convoy of Hope is on pace to set a record for disaster relief responses this year. The Springfield-based organization’s spokesman Ethan Forhetz said they’ve responded to 76 disasters across the U.S. and the world this year. The record is 99 in one year two years ago.
"So, we are on pace to shatter that record this year. Obviously, we're hoping that things slow down. Fewer disasters is a good thing, so we don't hit that record," he said. "But it looks as though if things continue this way, that we will hit a new disaster record."
Response teams have been sent to help after historic flooding in Missouri and Indiana as well as tornado outbreaks in the U.S., wildfires in Nevada, Washington and Colorado and earthquakes in parts of the world.
"There's also been major earthquakes that have taken place in Venezuela, then Colombia, then Indonesia," said Forhetz. "So, we have people there working again as we speak to meet the needs of earthquake survivors."
Convoy of Hope sent help after the devastating flooding and mudslides in Nepal, and Forhetz said they’ll continue to provide help there. Convoy is distributing food, clean drinking water, sheltering materials, and personal hygiene kits. The nonprofit is helping supply water to Puerto Rico amid an ongoing drought. And it responded to hurricanes that recently impacted Hawaii.
Despite the increased requests for help this year, Forhetz said they won’t change how they respond.
"A lot of people find this interesting that Convoy of Hope doesn't actually budget for disasters," he said. "We respond to disasters and then we trust that the American people, the people of the Ozarks are going to come in behind us and help support what we've already done and what we're going to do into the future. And we've had a great track record of that."
Convoy of Hope runs on donations from individuals, churches and corporations.
