wfn.org | Flood Cleanup Continues

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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 (3484 notes).

Note 3484 by UMNS on March 12, 1997 at 16:24 Eastern (6001 characters).

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Linda Bloom                            130(10-71B){3483}
          New York (212) 870-3803                   March 12, 1997

EDITORS NOTE: this story is a followup to UMNS No. 116 {3470}

Cleanup is now focus
in storm-ravaged states

          by United Methodist News Service

     "Cleanup" was the operative word as communities in seven
states struggled to recover from the mess created by tornados and
floods.
     At the Baldwin, La., storage depot for the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR), cleaning supplies were desperately
needed as of March 11. "We don't have a bottle of bleach or a
sponge left in the depot," said Wendy Whiteside, UMCOR's executive
secretary for program management.
     A list of material resources needed for cleanup and recovery
can be obtained by calling Depot staff at (800) 814-8765. UMCOR
also has designated a specific Advance for "Seven State Spring
Storm," Advance No. 901680-3, to receive monetary donations.
     According to Whiteside, church damage from the tornados and
floods "varies from just wet basements to complete destruction,"
but is minimal compared to the number of homes and businesses
damaged or destroyed. Fund raising to repair church property is
handled locally and does not involve UMCOR funds, she said.
     UMCOR has compiled a long list of volunteers available when
annual conferences begin requesting teams for recovery efforts.
She expects a number of volunteers will be placed by Easter.     
     People interested in volunteering can call (800) 918-3100.
     Many of the United Methodist annual (regional) conferences
affected by the tornados and continued flooding have established
their own appeals for disaster funds and supplies, and are
recruiting volunteers for cleanup and long-term recovery work.
     The following is a brief update on individual conferences:
     Arkansas Area (North Arkansas and Little Rock conferences) --
Arkansas is recovering from destruction caused by deadly tornados.
Several churches have opened centers to receive and distribute
food and other donated items.
     The Area's Volunteers-in-Mission have established disaster
volunteer offices in southwest Little Rock, Arkadelphia and a site
northeast of Little Rock. All of the offices can arrange for
volunteer cleanup crews.
     West Virginia Conference -- Milton United Methodist Church
served as a flood relief center after the Mud River swept through
communities in the denomination's Western District. Among the
volunteers assisting flood victims were 20 Boy Scouts from Troop
92 at Bethesda United Methodist Church.
     South Indiana Conference -- About 13 southern Indiana
counties have been identified as state and federal disaster areas
because of flooding along the swollen Ohio River. At least five
United Methodist churches were flooded: Utica, Aurora, Grandview
in Evansville, Embury and Old Capitol in Corydon.
     Wesley Chapel church in New Albany has been used as a Red
Cross shelter and later will become a staging area for the flood
relief effort.
     Flood relief work teams currently are being formed in South
Indiana districts. A volunteer coordinator will be named to
oversee work team deployment throughout the area.
     West Ohio Conference -- Through Jackson (Ohio) Area
Ministries, a United Methodist group, about 200 volunteers will
assist with cleanup in southern Ohio the weekend of March 15.
Relief supplies are being gathered at seven different sites.
     At Otway United Methodist Church, where the sanctuary was
flooded, the Bible on the altar table bears an inch-high line
along the bottom of its pages, marking the peak of the waters.
     Illinois Great Rivers Conference -- As of March 10, Illinois
communities along the Ohio River were surrounded by water as the
river continued to rise. At least 250 homes were flooded. Among
the communities affected were Metropolis, Golconda, Shawneetown,
Brookport, Cave-in-Rock, Rosiclare and Elizabethtown.
     Earlier, both the United Methodist church and parsonage in
Hillsdale were damaged because of flood waters. 
     Kentucky Conference -- In western Kentucky, according to the
Rev. Roger Newell, co-coordinator of disaster response, the Ohio
River had not yet crested west of Louisville as of March 12.
Forty-four counties had been declared disaster areas and another
30 were expecting that designation by March 16.
     United Methodists will participate in the Kentucky
Interchurch Disaster Program, which is preparing a $1 million
budget for flood relief. More than 5,000 homes have been damaged
so far.
     In Eastern Kentucky, the Rev. Charles Douglas, Newell's co-
coordinator, reported that every church in Falmouth was destroyed
or damaged, except for Wesleyan church. An estimated 90 percent of
buildings in town were damaged. No one had flood insurance,
including the churches, he said, because they were told it was no
longer needed in that area.
     The three United Methodist pastors from Falmouth, Butler and
Cynthiana are providing leadership for the relief effort. The
Butler church also was extensively damaged, but another building
has been found for the congregation and is being used as a feeding
center. The church in Cynthiana is overloaded with donated clothes
and other supplies.
     Memphis Conference -- The towns of Rives, Bogota, and Obion
have been affected and the Obion river was expected to rise again
as floodwaters from Ohio River moved closer. United Methodists
will provide relief services in Obion. Reelfoot Rural Ministries
provide warehouses for food, clothing and furniture. In Paducah,
Ky., the Ohio river was still rising. Broadway United Methodist
Church was a designated shelter there with cots for 250 people.
Concord church offered a feeding center.
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