wfn.org | CWS Readies Hurricane Floyd Response

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Email: news@ncccusa.org  Web: www.ncccusa.org

Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227

101NCC9/15/99 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE READIES HURRICANE FLOYD RESPONSE

September 15, 1999,. NEW YORK CITY -- Church World
Service, the relief and development agency of the National
Council of Churches, has put its volunteer Disaster
Consultants on alert in anticipation of any damage caused by
Hurricane Floyd, which is bearing down on the southeastern
United States and is described as a potentially catastrophic
hurricane.

Trained volunteer Disaster Consultants are organized
along the lines of the 10 Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) Regions and facilitate the work of CWS's state
and community partners as organizers, technical advisors,
and links to outside resources. They assist local faith-
based groups organize for pastoral-care needs and long-term
work that includes housing reconstruction and
rehabilitation.

The Regional Facilitator for the southeastern United
States (FEMA Region IV) is Morganton, North Carolina-based
Charles Moeller of Lutheran Disaster Response. "It's wait
and see with a lot of apprehension," Moeller said. "This
could be one for the decade. It's a very, very dangerous
storm." One problem, he pointed out, is that Hurricane Danny
in North Carolina leveled sand dunes on barrier islands just
a few weeks ago. This creates the possibility of flooding in
coastal areas.

Also being put on alert are CWS Regional Facilitators
in the northeastern United States, FEMA Region I and II
Facilitator Joann Hale in Grand Island, New York, with the
United Church of Christ, and FEMA Region III Facilitator
Shirley Norman in Markleysburg, Pennsylvania, with the
Church of the Brethren.

Church World Service has also been in contact with
Habitat with Humanity about working in partnership on
housing reconstruction through local interfaith groups in
devastated areas, and is prepared to provide material
assistance as needed, including CWS cleanup kits, blankets
and tents.

Address for contributions:  Church World Service, 28606
Phillips Street, PO Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. Telephone:
1-800-297-1516, ext 222. For more information and updates
and/or to make an on-line contribution, go to
http://www.churchworldservice.org.

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