wfn.org | Flood Damage in Alabama

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (268
notes).

Note 268 by UMNS on Aug. 8, 1997 at 15:36 Eastern (3315 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:  Joretta Purdue                     456(10-21SE-71B){268}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722            Aug. 8, 1997

United Methodists pitch in to combat
physical, mental flood damage in Alabama 

                 by United Methodist News Service

     United Methodists working through the Alabama-West Florida
Annual (regional) Conference, local churches and community groups
have been laboring to bring help to people whose lives were
disrupted by flooding caused by the former Hurricane Danny.
     The storm was no longer a hurricane by the weekend of July 19
when it dumped more than two feet of water on parts of Alabama and
other nearby states, but it left devastation in some areas of the
state, especially along the Fish River.
     More than five tons of cleaning supplies were supplied by the
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and distributed to
hard-hit Marlow, Ala., and the surrounding area. There, 100-150
homes were left unlivable and many more were damaged, reported
Andy Ellis, editor of the Alabama-West Florida Advocate.
     The Rev. Robert G. Ross, pastor of Marlow and Summerdale
United Methodist Churches, coordinated the distribution and
coordinated the use of 15 pressure washers also supplied by UMCOR.
     Less than a week after some of the areas received as much as
30 inches of rain in a 2-3 day period, Bishop William W. Morris
and the Rev. Donald L. Weaver, a UMCOR representative, toured the
region with other representatives from the conference. Cleaning
supplies were distributed beginning the following day.
     By the next week, residents had learned the extent of their
losses. Many homes were in areas that never had flooded before,
and these owners did not have flood insurance. Some lost both home
and business.
     The conference held a special training session for pastors to
help them prepare to minister to flood victims. Teams of pastors
and lay people went door-to-door to talk -- but mostly to listen -
- helping people deal with their feelings.
     Several more pastoral care workshops were held, some within
the denomination, some in ecumenical settings and some for both
secular and faith-based helping organizations.
     The Rev. Gene May, disaster relief coordinator of the
Pensacola District, said he hoped sending the trained teams into
the flooded areas would help identify hidden needs and provide
care for people.
     One of those hidden needs was concern about damage to an area
of oyster beds that many families near Bayou la Batre depend on
for their livelihoods, said Wendy Whiteside, a UMCOR spokesperson.
     Volunteer teams from throughout the conference and beyond are
also helping with the clean up and debris removal that floods make
necessary. Repair and rebuilding work will call for more
volunteers, May said. The clean up phase is estimated at up to 30
days.
     Relief efforts in the area also receive assistance from a
UMCOR Advance Special. Gifts to Advance No. 982515-0, "Hurricanes
'97," will aid people living in the United States, the Caribbean
and Latin America.
                               #  #  #

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 To unsubscribe, send the single word "unsubscribe" (no quotes)
 in a mail message to umethnews-request@ecunet.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------