Helping Neighbors Recover from a Barrage of Hurricanes
It had been more than a century since Florida’s Pinellas County sustained a direct hit from a hurricane, but that changed when Hurricane Helene tore through the area. Barely two weeks later, Hurricane Milton slammed through the county. Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs) responded to help their community recover and rebuild from the impact of these unprecedented storms.
The hurricanes damaged over 40,000 Pinellas County homes. Hundreds of thousands of households lost power. With winds reaching up to 140 mph, the storm hurled rain and debris, tore off roofs, flooded basements, downed hundreds of trees and pushed sand inland from the beach, slamming it against houses and into roadways.
Organized in teams, nearly 1,400 VMs responded to calls on the group’s helpline, checked on local residents, delivered ice and fresh water and cleared roads. They also removed mud, debris and flood-damaged furniture from homes to prevent mold contamination.
In just over four weeks, the VMs helped some 560 households and assisted over 5,000 people with whatever they needed.
The VMs in their bright yellow shirts coming to homes to provide their help were a welcome sight—particularly to seniors, as over a quarter of the county’s population is aged 65 or older.
Some residents felt so overwhelmed that they had simply given up. So the VMs also delivered Scientology Assists—techniques that help people overcome the emotional and spiritual stress of traumatic experiences.
While moving through a neighborhood, VMs saw a woman sitting on her porch, crying. When they approached her, she said, “Nothing can be done and everything was ruined.” A VM sat down with her and got her agreement to let them clean out the house. The VMs removed the trash, cleaned the kitchen and took out damaged furniture.
A VM gave the woman a Scientology Assist. She stopped crying and said, “I had lost hope, but now I see that something can be done to improve all this destruction. I am okay now. I’ll take it from here. You carry on and help the others. God bless you all.”
Another person said, “I felt so alone and didn’t know how to handle all this. You just showed up and got to work—you didn’t even hesitate.”
Through these actions, the VMs exemplified the role given to them by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”
TAKING ACTION
Be Ready for Anything
A Scientology Volunteer Minister helps in any situation, be it the catastrophe of a hurricane or wildfire, the personal turmoil of an unstable marriage, the struggle with schoolwork or the confusion in organizing a new business.
At the core of what makes a Volunteer Minister so successful in helping others in these seemingly “unsolvable” situations is the Scientology Technology contained in the 19 chapters of The Scientology Handbook. These contain powerful, practical knowledge of Communication, How to Resolve Conflicts, The Technology of Study and Assists for Illnesses and Injuries, to name just a few.
To make this data available to everyone, each chapter has been turned into a free online course, which you can start today to get the practical tools to help yourself and others.
Enroll on a free online course.
BRING REAL HELP
The Volunteer Ministers bring indiscriminate help to all corners of the world. Your donation plays a critical role in bringing relief to those in desperate circumstances, where every second counts and every contribution matters. Together, we will make a lasting difference in the lives of others, showing them that “Something Can Be Done About It.”
