Hey guys,
Just thought I'd let those interested know what the North Texas part of the org is/isn't doing to help in the relief effort from a first hand account.
First of all, we all know that the society isn't helping anyone that isn't a dub, maybe unless they are a serious Bible Study or something. That being said, by Monday we had several refugees camping out at different brother and sisters' homes, most of whom they were already friends with or were referred to by mutual friends. I think by Monday night the elders in the area had a meeting about their concerns and thoughts that the friends coming in town was getting out of hand. On top of that, my dad, who is an elder, was informed that the way the situation was being handled goes against WT procedure.
So Tuesday an announcement was made at our KH by our PO concerning the hurricance relief victims. In a very formal and "theocratic" kind of way, he told the friends that those who already had taken in victims could make a conscious decision to keep them, and if so they were on their own. Otherwise, the designated relief area by the government and WT society is Houston, meaning most that just arrived would be referred to Houston, five hours south of here at their own expense. Those who just absolutely cannot leave need to check in with the N. Texas circuit assembly hall, where surviving POs are being taken care of and checking in friends. The brother also stated that the first concern was accounting for those lost, mainly POs, elders and their families who are pillars in their home congregations. The rest, as told to me at the book study last night, were to be checked in at the assembly and "screened like the government does". That entails being asked who the PO of your KH, what is the address of your KH and phone number, and show me your blood card. He said it was to make sure that when families do get a permanent placement with friends, they won't be welcoming "pedophiles and DF's ones" into their homes. I never thought of a religion screeing its people like the government, but I'm not too surprised for some reason either.
So thats it. No mention of a coordinated food effort, no immeadiate solutions for friends already here, and little sympathy from local halls. Thats not to take away from the individual compassion that a lot of the friends do have, many of whom have taken people in already against the "arrangement". The one chance the society has to show or at least fake that it has humanitarian compassion and they are gonna blow it. This shows that the arrangement and the society being an island are far more important than actually saving lives.