Thousands of Seventh-day Adventists, their churches and institutions are among the millions of people suffering in the Gulf Coast region of the United States following Hurricane Katrina. The storm’s effect on the church and its members in the area is the subject of an international television special to air on the church’s Hope Channel beginning Sept. 9.

The one-hour show includes interviews with Adventist relief workers and others. Nearly a dozen Adventist churches were either damaged or destroyed during the storm and in the flooding that followed. Bass Memorial Academy in Mississippi suffered severe damage with the loss of several roofs. Exclusive video of the storm striking the academy documents the devastation as it happened.

Funds donated during the Hope Channel special will go to help rebuild Adventist churches and institutions. During the program, viewers will have an opportunity to make donations to aid Adventist churches and schools in the Gulf states, Arkansas and Louisiana church areas.

The “Hurricane Katrina Special Report” will air in North America, but it can also be viewed on Hope’s European and international channels or by streaming video at www.hopetv.org.