ADRA update: California wildfire, Caribbean flooding survivors to receive aid ... The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is joining local aid organizations to assist some 20,000 people who remain in shelters throughout Southern California after 20 wildfires destroyed more than 1,400 homes in the region and displaced up to 1 million residents last week. Immediate needs include food, water, shelter, hygiene kits, debris clean-up assistance and counseling services. ADRA has committed an initial $50,000 to fund the response efforts of its local partner organizations to meet the most pressing needs of survivors, many of whom are uninsured and have been left destitute by the fires.

ADRA is also responding to flooding in Dominican Republic, Haiti and Mexico. Last month a tropical storm brought three days of nonstop rain to the island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, causing floods that left more than 100 people dead. In cooperation with local partners, ADRA is providing food baskets to 400 families in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The baskets will provide enough food for a family of six for up to two weeks. ADRA Mexico is operating 15 soup kitchens to serve flood survivors. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been affected by flooding in the country’s southern states. [Nadia McGill/ADRA/ANN Staff]

United States: Loma Linda physician joins commission on cancer ... With her recent appointment to the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Sharmila Roy-Chowdhury joins a network of more than 1,600 volunteer physicians who lead their respective hospitals’ cancer programs. Roy-Chowdhury, an attending surgeon in the division of clinical oncology at Seventh-day Adventist-owned Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, will hold the post for three years. She says she hopes the position gives her the opportunity to help educate the community about cancer prevention and treatment—particularly the “life-saving value” of cancer screening. Roy-Chowdhury also serves on a cancer committee at Loma Linda and teaches in the university’s School of Medicine. [Loma Linda/ANN Staff]