From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


Flooding continues to plague North Carolina in wake of Floyd


From NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>
Date 21 Sep 1999 13:37:51

Sept. 21, 1999  News media contact: Linda Bloom**(212)870-3803**New York,
N.Y.  10-71B{482}

By George Piper*

GOLDSBORO, N.C. -- When Hurricane Floyd felled three trees on a woman's roof
in this city, she received a $1,200 estimate to remove them. Her insurance
policy covered only $500, and the out-of-pocket costs were too much for her
to bear.
 
The Rev. Charles Moseley knows this woman, like other older members of his
St. Luke's United Methodist Church congregation, is going to need help
recovering from Hurricane Floyd's wrath. He and church leaders met Sept. 19
to formulate plans to assist St. Luke's families in similar predicaments.

This scenario is likely to replay itself countless times across eastern
North Carolina as residents face the worst flooding ever because of
Hurricane Floyd.

The situation is frustrating for faith-based disaster relief groups who want
to help. Resources are being mobilized for relief efforts, but downed phone
lines and washed-out roads make it difficult, if not impossible, to get a
handle on a community's needs, said Charlie Moeller, a Church World Service
(CWS) disaster resource facilitator. 
 
"The frustration is not knowing what's happening and what are the needs," he
said. "That's the real barrier in getting into the recovery." 
      
That has precluded faith-based groups from preparing aid. CWS issued a
$100,000 appeal. The United Methodist Committee on Relief sent $40,000 along
with cleanup kits. 

Until then, Moeller said local churches should be taking care of their own
congregations' needs as well as looking at needs within the wider community.

      
That's what Moseley is attempting to do in Goldsboro. He's helped distribute
supplies that arrived at the local American Red Cross office. He also
expects the United Church Ministries of Wayne County, a collection of 100
churches that respond to short-term crises, to assume a larger role as
relief and recovery progresses. 
      
When that begins is up to the Neuse River, which already has reached 1929
record flood levels. Some St. Luke's families have been out of town and
unable to return since Floyd struck, and Moseley fears that a few homes may
be total losses. 
      
Health is another concern for the state's residents. Tap water is unsafe in
many communities, and floodwaters tend to carry dangerous bacteria. Decaying
carcasses of farm animals poses a health threat as well, especially in
Goldsboro, where a local turkey processing plant may have up to 1 million
dead fowl. 
      
St. Luke's postponed its annual homecoming services over the weekend, and
Moseley instead told the congregation on Sunday about Paul's faith during a
storm and subsequent shipwreck while on his way to Rome. "We are people of
faith, and we are squarely able to face whatever comes our way because our
God is with us," he said. 
      
Good weather in the post-Floyd days helped to ease spirits. Beautiful blue
skies starkly contrasted with mud-stained patches of ground, and people are
taking a friendlier attitude toward each other during the crisis, Moseley
said. 
      
Still, Moseley said there is optimistic apprehension in Goldsboro as people
wait to see what the coming week brings. Some residents were without power
for hours.  Moseley's music director, who lives eight miles from the church
in rural Wayne County, tried several routes to make it to Sunday services
before giving up. 

"A lot of those folks are cut off by the rising flood water," he said. "We
are still feeling like we're in the middle of this disaster." 

# # #
*George Piper is a writer for the Disaster News Network. This story
originally appeared on the Disaster News Network Web site,
www.disasternews.net.

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


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