wfn.org | MEXICO: PRESIDING BISHOP'S FUND HELPS VICTIMS

[Audrey Whitefield <a.whitefield@quest.org.uk>]

Oct. 31, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

[97.10.5.6]

MEXICO: PRESIDING BISHOP'S FUND HELPS VICTIMS

(ENS) A $25,000 emergency grant has been sent to Bishop Jose Saucedo
Mendoza in the Diocese of Cuernavaca to help with emergency efforts in
the areas near Guerrero and Alcopulco, Mexico, following the destructive
floods and mud slides caused by Hurricane Paula in early October. Bishop
Mendoza requested assistance from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for
World Relief (PBFWR) because of "severe damage to both property and
life" in the southwestern areas of Mexico. He did not indicate if church
properties were damaged. The Diocese of Cuernavaca is part of the new
Anglican Church of Mexico. The bishop indicated that the grant would be
used to help with reconstruction and other emergency relief efforts
following the storm which killed as many as 500 people and wiped out
entire communities with flooding.  Thousands of acres of farmland remain
under water, livestock have died, and mud and landslides have isolated
entire communities, according to reports from Church World Service.
Reports from civil and religious relief agencies indicate relief
facilities are not able to respond in some areas, and shortages of food
and water are critical. Health officials fear outbreaks of deadly
diseases, such as cholera. "This is an initial response to the meet the
needs of the people affected by the disaster," said Nancy L. Marvel,
Executive Director of the PBFWR from her New York office. "The
assessment of damage in the isolated areas cannot be completed
immediately. As we get further assessments, the larger needs will be
identified," she added. "This natural disaster will require long-term
solutions."