wfn.org | United Methodists help with recovery from Hurricane Floyd

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

March 6, 2000 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21-71B{118}

NOTE: This story is the first of two parts. The second is UMNS story #119.
The reports are accompanied by a sidebar, UMNS story #120, which editors may
want to use as an information box.

A UMNS Special Report
By Linda Bloom*

United Methodists involved with Hurricane Floyd relief efforts in North
Carolina and Virginia predict that recovery will take two to five years.

The denomination has established full-time recovery operations in those
states since the hurricane tore through last fall. Carrying out the work
will require more funding and more volunteer teams. 

"We need the volunteers because that's the only way we're going to be able
to help these people rebuild," said Barbara Tripp, coordinator of disaster
response for the United Methodist North Carolina Annual (regional)
Conference. "To have volunteers, we have to have places for them to stay and
materials for them to work with."

Ward Smith, field staff with the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, reported "tremendous need remains throughout the region. Much is
being accomplished by the beneficial volunteers, and many teams plan to
return for the second and third time in coming months."

However, the Churchwide Appeal for Major Storm Devastation '99 "did not
produce as much money as anticipated," said the Rev. Butch Huffman, North
Carolina's director of volunteers in mission. "It's just a drop in the
bucket for what we need." The appeal, from the United Methodist Committee on
Relief (UMCOR), covers aid efforts in the wake of hurricanes Dennis, Floyd
and Irene.

The North Carolina Conference alone has set a $1.3 million budget for its
Floyd recovery work this year, Huffman said.

But only $790,000 had been raised through the churchwide appeal as of
February, according to the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, UMCOR's disaster response
coordinator. UMCOR has received $2.2 million in funding requests from six
areas affected by the hurricanes.

"We're really at a huge deficit for what is needed," he told United
Methodist News Service. "For some reason, funding has not come in on this
churchwide appeal."

Donations might have been slowed by an announcement last fall that Duke
University was making $6 million available from its endowment to the North
Carolina Conference, he said. But that money, he explained, applies only to
church facilities and not to recovery efforts for the general public.

The funding requests include $1.3 million for North Carolina, $530,000 for
Virginia, $50,000 for New Jersey and $36,000 for Florida. Two requests also
have been received from the Bahamas. UMCOR directors will act on the
requests during the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries meeting in
early April.

Hazelwood said the conferences probably would end up with about 30 percent
of what they requested from UMCOR, although he hopes to fund fully the
$50,000 request.

The conferences also have been raising funds on their own. North Carolina
raised $1.3 million for its flood recovery efforts, and the Western North
Carolina Annual Conference - working in the Tarboro-Princeville-Rocky Mount
area - has raised $1.6 million, giving $186,000 of that amount to the North
Carolina Conference.

The Virginia Conference has received more than $500,000 and has disbursed
more than half of that amount already. "We use vouchers," said the Rev.
Frank Jennings. "We don't give dollars to anybody." 

In fact, 72 percent of 351 families registered with the Virginia Conference
Disaster Response Team have received vouchers for food, clothing, furniture,
appliances, building supplies and other needs related to the flood.

Donations for the churchwide appeal can be made to UMCOR, designated to
Advance No. 982460-1. Checks can be dropped into church collection plates or
mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583.

The North Carolina Conference warehouse also is accepting donations of
materials, ranging from Sheetrock to tools. For specific needs, call Leland
Heath at (919) 739-9167.
# # #
*Bloom is news director of United Methodist News Service's New York office.

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United Methodist News Service
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