wfn.org | UMCOR, Others Respond to Bertha

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3076 notes).

Note 3072 by UMNS on July 23, 1996 at 15:42 Eastern (4446 characters).

SEARCH: hurricane, relief, disaster, Bertha, Committee on Relief,
storm
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Joretta Purdue                          358(10-71){3072}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722           July 23, 1996

Disaster response at work
in North Carolina, Virginia

     NEW YORK (UMNS) -- United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR) and conference disaster response workers were ready when
Hurricane Bertha -- after menacing the East Coast from Florida
northward -- came ashore July 12 at Wilmington, N.C., and they
have been busy ever since.
     That the damage could have been more extensive was of little
comfort to some. People were thankful that personal injuries were
few, but in North Carolina an elderly woman was killed when
restoration of power to her home caused a fire. 
     The more than $100 million in damages in North Carolina was
matched with another whopping estimate in Virginia, where the
dying hurricane spawned tornados.
     In Hubert, N.C., Queen's Creek United Methodist Church held
Sunday services outside the church building less than 48 hours
later because there was no electricity. Power for the keyboard was
provided by the generator of an Interfaith disaster response
trailer that was using the property as a staging area. Throughout
the service, chain saws could be heard as crews worked to clear
damaged and fallen trees.
     Trinity United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, N.C., had
two large trees leaning on its educational building and another
one down. Ayden (N.C.) United Methodist Church had a tree on the
sanctuary roof. Havelock (N.C.) United Methodist Church sustained
roof damage, and Salter Path (N.C.) United Methodist Church had
water damage.
     The steeple was blown off Marshallberg (N.C.) United
Methodist Church. Maysville (N.C.) United Methodist Church lost a
stained-glass window and had water damage. Other churches in the
area had some wind and water damage.
     Campers were advised not to go to North Carolina Camp Don Lee
the week after the storm struck. A large tree had fallen through
the roof of the camp parsonage and into the living room. Forty
trees were felled and part of the camp pier was destroyed by
winds.
     Tornados in Virginia spawned by Bertha damaged or destroyed
32 homes in and around Edwardsville, 10 of them belonged to
members of Galilee United Methodist Church there.  
     Though the Virginia Beach, Va., area suffered damage, there
were no serious injuries and no damage to church property there.
     Before the storm hit, UMCOR designated "Hurricanes '96"
Advance No. 982410-0 to provide relief and recovery for affected
areas.
     A UMCOR shipping container of water, cleaning supplies,
hygiene kits and other emergency supplies arrived in North
Carolina July 15 from the new UMCOR depot in Baldwin, La.
     The UMCOR hotline, (800) 841-1235, is being up-dated as
needed with information about the relief effort following the
storm's landfall. Assessment was slowed by the large number of
felled trees and power lines that blocked access in many areas.
     The North Carolina Conference disaster preparedness committee
sent its mobile kitchen into the area for deployment as needed. On
July 16 Bishop C.P. Minnick Jr. issued an appeal to churches
throughout the North Carolina Conference for aid of all types.
     Clean-up teams in North Carolina are being coordinated by the
Rev. Virgil "Butch" Huffman of Daniels Memorial United Methodist
Church in Goldsboro. The conference disaster response coordinator,
Huffman has indicated a need for chain saw crews and
reconstruction crews, but all volunteers are asked to schedule
work in North Carolina through him. His number is (919) 778-0967.
     For more information or to volunteer for Virginia relief
efforts contact conference disaster coordinator the Rev. James
Hundley (804) 270-6560. 
     Virginia Miller, UMCOR domestic response network manager,
designated experienced volunteers to specific assignments helping
within the response.
     UMCOR officials stressed the agency's commitment to relief
and recovery. They said help in rebuilding will be needed for some
months and is being coordinated through their toll-free number,
(800) 918-3100.
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