Florida churches get ready for Ernesto
Aug. 29, 2006 News media contact: Kathy Gilbert * (615) 7425470* Nashville {517}
NOTE: Photographs are available with this report at http://umns.umc.org.
By Tita Parham*
ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS) - On the eve of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, United Methodist churches in Florida are preparing for Ernesto and whatever punch the first-named hurricane of the Atlantic season delivers.
Leaders and volunteers in the denomination's Florida Annual (regional) Conference were busy preparing Aug. 28 for a projected landfall late Aug. 29 or early Aug. 30 somewhere in South Florida. Hurricane watches are in effect along both coasts.
Marilyn Swanson, project director for the Florida Conference Storm Recovery Center, says emergency operations center officials don't expect the storm to cause the level of damage Hurricane Wilma caused in 2005, but they remain cautious and urge people to prepare.
Swanson and the storm center staff have been working with district offices and disaster response coordinators to firm up preparations. They have also been in touch with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster group to begin the process of coordinating response efforts. Swanson says storm center staff are working to strategically place people in emergency operations centers across the state, and she is encouraging churches to attend local emergency center meetings to let local leaders and responders know the church is available to help.
"Local churches are much better prepared (this year)," she adds. She attributes the readiness to a higher level of participation from churches in local church disaster training, which focuses on preparation and planning, and early response training, which focuses on responding to affected areas.
Despite the preparations, Swanson says there is some anxiety among churches, especially those that have yet to make repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Wilma. Some churches have building materials on site but can't use them because other items are needed in order to finish the repairs, she says. In other instances, contractors are reluctant to complete the work for fear of it being damaged during this season.
The Rev. Debbie McLeod, superintendent of the conference's South East District, estimates at least 10 churches in her district still need repairs. Her district was hard hit during last year's hurricane season. Throughout the conference, approximately 50 churches - out of 690 claims related to hurricane damage - are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma and other storms.
Says McLeod: "We're getting ready, but people are anxious ... storm-weary."
*Parham is managing editor of e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. This story originally appeared in the e-Review.
News media contact: Tim Tanton or Kathy Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
********************
United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this group, go to UMCom.org, log in to your account, click on the My Resources link and select the Leave option on the list(s) from which you wish to unsubscribe. If you have problems or questions, please write to websupport@umcom.org.
Powered by United Methodist Communications http://www.UMCom.org