Last year's Atlantic hurricane season proved exceptionally destructive, with three Category 4 hurricanes making landfall in the United States: Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The loss of life and property damage made these disasters catastrophic by any measure.

Episcopal Relief & Development's US Disaster Program equips Episcopal dioceses throughout the United States to prepare for and respond to disasters like these. With our partners, we provide emergency assistance and help with long-term recovery, staying active in communities after the TV cameras and many other aid agencies have left.

TEXAS

Hurricane Harvey was the most powerful storm to hit Texas in more than 50 years, bringing punishing rains and unprecedented flooding to the state. But before Harvey was even on the radar, Episcopal Relief & Development had provided disaster preparedness training and resources for volunteer leaders in Episcopal Dioceses of Texas and West Texas, giving them tools and resources they would need to respond quickly and ably.

In the storm’s aftermath, dioceses around the state began extensive relief and recovery efforts, and seven months later, they’re still hard at work. In the sprawling greater Houston area Episcopal Churches and Episcopal Relief & Development partners are working every day to get people like Norma back on their feet.

Norma, a single mother who supports her family on a fast food worker's wage, saw her house lose its roof, floors, and several feet of walls. "I worked very hard to provide the necessities of life," she said. "We lost all of it."

But women and men from MOSAIC, the outreach arm of St. Andrew's Church in nearby Pearland, are helping her get back some of what was lost. They're pounding nails and putting up sheetrock to rebuild Norma's house.

"The children lost all the belongings, and their toys," Norma said. "But now the kids are happy because it is starting to come together and I'm happy. Very thankful."

FLORIDA

Less than two weeks after Harvey, Hurricane Irma, a ferocious 400-mile-wide storm, raged up the Caribbean, and crashed down on Florida, turning the streets of Miami and other cities into rivers. Episcopal Relief & Development's focus in Florida has been both on immediate relief and long-term rebuilding.

In Southeast Florida we worked with the Episcopal Diocese to provide critical assistance to those who were hardest hit: migrant workers, seniors, children, and the homeless, who already lacked a roof over their heads.

As part of the long-term recovery plans, the diocese has provided temporary trailers for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed. The diocese is planning to hire a part-time recovery coordinator to manage ongoing response efforts in the months ahead.

A bit north in Central Florida, our team provided emergency support, helping the diocese coordinate its initial relief efforts there, delivering food and water, bedding, and personal hygiene necessities. Because church partners are deeply embedded in these communities, they were able to identify and serve those in the greatest need.

THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO

And Mother Nature wasn't finished yet. Two weeks after Irma, Hurricane Maria unleashed its destructive force on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, parts of which had already been pummeled by Hurricane Irma.

In advance of Maria, Episcopal Relief & Development sent emergency support, partnering with the Episcopal Dioceses of the Virgin Islands and of Puerto Rico as well as with Convoy of Hope. In the immediate aftermath, we were able to work with these partners to distribute critical supplies, ensuring that necessary items were shared with vulnerable families, especially those in isolated communities.

In Puerto Rico, the emergency support we were able to send helped the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico provide food, water and medical supplies to approximately 70,000 people in key areas outside of San Juan. Emergency support was also provided to approximately 600 people on the islands of Tortola and Virgin Gorda, which were devastated by Irma.

Today Episcopal Relief & Development remains active in both regions. A representative in the Virgin Islands is coordinating ongoing relief and recovery efforts with the diocese there. He's working closely with clergy and lay leaders to mobilize churches for long-term recovery and reconstruction. A component of this rebuilding effort will include preparedness measures for future disasters. And in Puerto Rico our representative is working closely with the diocese to strategize the next phases of the response.

The years in a child's life between birth and age five are critical for long-term health and development. That's why Episcopal Relief & Development is redoubling its efforts in support of this crucial period in the lives of vulnerable children. Investing in early childhood development is the best way we know to sow seeds of resilience and well being that will last a lifetime.

In Zambia, the forces of poverty and HIV/AIDS pose great challenges for families. The daily work of subsistence farming and the hardships of illness take their greatest toll on young children. In partnership with the Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Programs (ZACOP), we launched the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program to help these vulnerable children to reach their full potential. ECD empowers primary caregivers to provide the consistent nurturing and early stimulation that helps foster healthy, thriving children. The program relies on a community-led, holistic approach to address the interrelated needs of families: parenting, health, nutrition, food security and livelihoods.

A 2016 external evaluation showed that as a result of participation in the ECD program, primary caregivers had strengthened their relationship with their children and changed the way they parented.

The program's biggest impact was on the amount of time caregivers spent engaging with their children in activities that promote cognitive development. Through the program, caregivers learned and began incorporating new activities: providing play materials, playing counting games and praising children for good behavior. They also began promoting the development of fine motor skills, giving children small objects to pick up and sticks so they could draw in the dirt.

The external evaluation found that the ECD Program model was successful in changing primary caregivers' behavior, strengthening their nurturing care and stimulation with their children. It also concluded that the program has wide applicability in rural communities across Africa, particularly in areas where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high. Across the spectrum of challenges facing vulnerable families in rural communities, the ECD Program has sparked energy, change and hope.