Silver Spring, Maryland--With Hurricane Felix bearing down on Central
America, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is prepared to
respond. ADRA offices in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico
are positioned and ready to provide immediate emergency and recovery relief
to storm-affected communities.

Following on the heels of Hurricane Dean, Hurricane Felix is the second
category five hurricane to hit the region in two weeks. Making landfall near
Punta Gorda in northeastern Nicaragua this morning, Felix's 160
mile-per-hour winds also pounded coastal Honduras.
The small but powerful storm is expected to cause severe damage to homes and
other structures directly in its path. Life-threatening flash flooding and
landslides are also possible as Felix unleashes high winds and heavy rains
across the mountainous regions of Central America.

ADRA offices throughout Central America and Mexico held preparedness
meetings over the weekend with local staff and partners, and are ready to
meet the immediate needs of storm survivors.

ADRA Nicaragua is coordinating with the Nicaraguan government and is
preparing an initial emergency response in the area of Puerto Cabezas, which
felt the full impact of Felix's initial landfall.

"The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is very isolated and undeveloped, and
communication is difficult even under the best of circumstances," says
Plinio Vergara, country director for ADRA Nicaragua. "We have staff and
volunteers in place and will begin providing food, water, and other
emergency relief to storm survivors as soon as conditions permit."

As Hurricane Felix winds its way westward, ADRA teams in all storm-affected
countries will assess the damage left by the storm and assist those affected
by the disaster.

In addition to preparing for Felix, ADRA Mexico is continuing to respond to
the impact of Hurricane Dean in Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Veracruz. ADRA
Mexico is also ready to respond to Henriette, currently pelting Baja
California and Mexico's Pacific coast with category one winds and rain. The
storm has reportedly already claimed several lives.

Updates will be released as more information is available.

To donate to ADRA's responses to help hurricane survivors, please contact
ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or donate online to ADRA's Emergency Response
fund at www.adra.org.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and
emergency management without regard to political or religious association,
age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.