wfn.org | Tornadoes damage parsonages in Oklahoma and Kansas

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 4, 1999 News media contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{249}

By United Methodist News Service*

Two United Methodist parsonages were among the more than 1,000 homes
destroyed by tornadoes that struck Oklahoma May 3-4. No United Methodist
churches were significantly damaged.
	
The parsonages destroyed were those of Sunnylane United Methodist Church in
Del City and First United Methodist Church in Moore. Del City and Moore are
suburbs south of Oklahoma City, where the heaviest destruction and
fatalities occurred. At press time May 4, 45 deaths had been confirmed and
scores more were expected. 

This was the deadliest tornado in Oklahoma since 1947, and the sixth
deadliest in U.S. history, according to the National Weather Service. 

The twister that hit Oklahoma City area was categorized by weather
forecasters as at least an F4, the second strongest tornado classification.
The tornado, with winds up to 250 miles per hour, was one of several that
formed in a five-hour period in Southwest Oklahoma and moved northeast into
Kansas. 

The Rev. Guy Langston and his wife, Vicki, were at home when the tornado
struck Del City. When the storm passed, the only part of their home left
standing was the closet where they had taken shelter.

The Rev. Robert Younts and his wife, Pat, were not home when the tornado
destroyed their parsonage at First Church in Moore.

A meeting was under way at Sunnylane church when the tornado struck less
than two miles away. Immediately, the members gathered food and other items
from their day-care center and opened the church for rescue victims. About
50 people who had lost their homes spent the night at the church.
	
Oklahoma's Bishop Bruce Blake, who was attending the Council of Bishops
meeting in Chattanooga, Tenn., returned to Oklahoma City Tuesday to help
mobilize the conference response efforts. Disaster response leaders planned
to gather at his home at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to organize. Clergy and laity
from across Oklahoma will gather at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in
Oklahoma City Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to put together work teams that will
begin helping with the cleanup as soon as they are permitted into the areas.

At one point during the storm, as many as 60,000 residents of Oklahoma City
were without power, according to the World Wide Web site of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Two-thirds of the outages were repaired
overnight. Major highways, including two interstates, are closed in the
Oklahoma City area. 

The tornado system moved into Kansas, striking Wichita. The roof of Dawson
United Methodist Church and the roof of the parsonage were damaged. The
parsonage is the home of the Rev. Don Noble and Kathy Kruger Noble, director
of communications for the Kansas West Conference and editor of Crossfire,
the conference newspaper.

In a May 4 statement, Kansas Area Bishop Fritz Mutti said the storm left a
"path of devastation in the area." He said reports of loss and damage
continue to increase as the many families attempt to "pick up the pieces in
their lives."

As of press time, damage to United Methodist property could not be
determined. Conference officials and disaster response people were out
assessing damage in Wichita and other areas. 

Ten fatalities were reported in the areas of Hayesville and Wichita,
according to FEMA's Web site. The American Red Cross is operating three
shelters in Wichita, and the National Guard has been activated to provide
support including opening an armory in Hayesville for triage and sheltering
of victims and providing securing to the town.  

Mutti has established an Area Disaster Relief Fund to assist with the
emergency and personal needs of those affected, particularly those needs not
covered by insurance. The Kansas Area comprises both the Kansas East and
Kansas West annual conferences. 

Mutti is calling on all pastors and laity in both conferences to help those
in need. 

"I hope each church will make an announcement regarding this fund and that a
special offering will be taken within the next couple of weeks," he said.  

People who want to contribute to relief can make donations to the United
Methodist Committee on Relief's Domestic Disaster Response #901670-1.
Designate the check for "Kansas," "Oklahoma," or "Kansas and Oklahoma."
Donations may be placed in church offering plates or sent directly to UMCOR
at 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, N.Y. 10115. 
# # #
*Boyce Bowdon, director of communications for the Oklahoma Annual Conference
contributed to this story.

______________
United Methodist News Service
http://www.umc.org/umns/
newsdesk@umcom.umc.org
(615)742-5472