wfn.org | Hurricane relief needs

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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 (3186 notes).

Note 3186 by UMNS on Sept. 24, 1996 at 15:54 Eastern (4089 characters).

SEARCH:   hurricane, relief, recovery, building, Fran, Hortense,
               Carolina, Puerto Rico
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                      472(10-32-71B){3186}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722          Sept. 24, 1996

Hurricane survivors need
goods, funds for recovery 

                 by United Methodist News Service

     A temporary warehouse in North Carolina and the need for
monetary aid in Puerto Rico are the focus of relief efforts of the
United Methodist Church following the devastation of Hurricanes
Fran and Hortense in early September.
     The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has
announced the need for building supplies and non-perishable food
items to be sent to the newly established UMCOR warehouse at 100
Fontana, Clinton, NC 28328. 
     Items needed include plyboard, sheetrock, roofing shingles,
nails and other building materials as well as food.
     UMCOR requests that donors call the North Carolina Hotline
(800) 454-7780 to make delivery arrangements before shipping.
     Volunteer teams are being asked to use the same number to
schedule their work in needed areas of North Carolina, where
Hurricane Fran dealt its hardest blow Sept. 5. The need for
volunteers in North Carolina will continue for an extended period.

     The storm also dumped great quantities of water on parts of
Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, causing
flooding. These areas have implemented conference disaster
response plans and are also receiving assistance from UMCOR.
     On Sept. 10 Hurricane Hortense breached the island of Puerto
Rico, where most of the damage was caused by floods resulting from
up to 18 inches of rain.
     Early warning helped minimize the loss of life there,
according to UMCOR consultant Larry Powell, who toured the area a
week after the storm. The degree of flooding was unexpected, he
said, thus interior furnishings were not removed.
     Huge losses of personal and household belongings resulted.
Water and mud levels inside homes were seven feet or higher. Home
appliances and bedding have been left unusable, and most of the
people in the affected areas are sleeping on floors, Powell said.
Other furniture and clothing were also destroyed.
     Bishop Victor Bonilla of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico
has requested disaster response funds to assist in the recovery.
He has previously received reasonable prices from a mattress
manufacturer and clothing outlets on the island and wants to use
them again. Local purchases will support the economy and speed the
aid for people who desperately want to return to normal living,
the bishop has said.
     Monetary gifts for both areas are being handled by UMCOR
through Advance Special No. 982410-0, Hurricanes '96.
     Severe crop damage in North Carolina and Puerto Rico has
resulted from the hurricanes. 
     Powell reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the Red Cross were trying to extend their work outward
from Puerto Rico's urban areas by establishing satellite offices
in some smaller communities.
     FEMA had made some emergency grants of $300 or $500 to
households affected by Hurricane Hortense but, Powell noted,
"Puerto Rico is a very expensive place to live, and you cannot
replace major appliances and major furnishings for $300 or $500."
     Only one piece of church property was damaged. A small
chapel, where water and mud rushed in, has already been cleaned,
Powell said.
     Electricity was restored to most of the island within a week,
but water remained a problem, and even water from the "water
stations" needed to be boiled for human consumption.
     UMCOR officials have indicated that a long-term recovery
effort will be needed in both areas. Updated information on
current disasters and relief efforts is available on the UMCOR
Hotline, (800) 841-1235.
                               # # #

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