wfn.org | Church helps with flood recovery in Texas

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

July 11, 2002  News media contact: Linda Bloom7(212)870-38037New York
10-71BP{296}

NOTE: Photographs will be available with this report.

By Douglas Cannon*

SAN ANTONIO (UMNS) -- As high waters subsided across Southwest Texas the
week of July 8, United Methodist officials were organizing efforts to help
with flood recovery in at least 35 counties.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief was dispatching a truckload of
cleaning supplies from its Baldwin, La., depot for use at several Southwest
Texas sites, including Castroville, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels and Seguin.

High water has claimed the life of at least one United Methodist. Liden
Dokken, a member of Utopia United Methodist Church, died July 2 when he was
swept off his tractor by floodwaters along the Sabinal River. He reportedly
had been trying to pull neighbors from high water. Dokken was one of nine
people reported killed in flooding across the region.

Bishop Joel Martinez met with disaster response officials from the United
Methodist Southwest Texas and Rio Grande annual conferences on July 8 to
assess needs for volunteer teams and relief funds to help with long-term
recovery. The updated assessment covered communities from the Texas Hill
Country southeast to the Gulf of Mexico along the Colorado, Guadalupe,
Nueces and San Antonio river watersheds.

Martinez requested an initial $60,000 grant from UMCOR for assistance in
Bandera, Castroville, Comfort, Kerrville, New Braunfels, San Antonio and
Seguin. 
 
New Braunfels and Seguin were among the areas suffering major flood damage
in October 1998, the last time the Guadalupe River went on a rampage. 

"One good thing," said Bonnie Terry, Southwest Texas Conference
disaster-response coordinator, "is that recovery groups in New Braunfels and
Seguin have not disbanded. That gives us a head start on recovery from this
flood in those areas."

Martinez saw flooding firsthand July 5 in Comfort, Kerrville and San
Antonio. He and representatives of the Rio Grande and Southwest Texas
conferences prayed with flood victims, visited relief volunteers and spoke
to local officials.

"We will be working in cooperation with other churches to address unmet
needs to help you recover from this disaster," he told flood victims in
Comfort.

Rising water prevented the seven-member group from making additional stops
July 5 in Bandera and Utopia, but the bishop visited flood sites in
Castroville, New Braunfels and Seguin on July 9 and in Bandera on July 10.

Conference officials had received no reports of major flood damage to church
property or of canceled services as of July 7.

Pastors in Bandera, Canyon Lake, Comfort, Kerrville, Lakeview, New
Braunfels, Seguin and Utopia reported members of their congregations dealing
with flood damage.

"The good thing here is that we had 24 hours' advance warning," said the
Rev. Lonnie B. Phillips, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church,
Seguin. "People could move their stuff to higher ground." Flooding hit
Seguin in 1998 without warning, he noted.

An upper-level, low-pressure system moved over South Texas June 29, sparking
seven straight days of torrential rains. San Antonio International Airport
officially recorded more than 15 inches during the period. Radar reports
indicated that more than 35 inches of rain fell on parts of Bandera, Bexar,
Kendall and Kerr counties. Runoff water pushed levels in the Canyon Lake and
Medina Lake reservoirs to record highs.
 
Gov. Rick Perry declared 29 counties a state disaster area July 3 and
requested federal assistance. He added 10 more counties to the list July 7.
President Bush declared 10 counties a federal disaster area July 4. He added
three more counties to that list July 6 and 11 more counties on July 8.
Incomplete early reports show flood damage to at least 48,000 homes,
according to the American Red Cross.
 
Donations to assist with flood relief efforts can be made through UMCOR.
Checks designated to UMCOR Advance No. 901315 can be placed in church
collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room
330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800)
554-8583 or going online to http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor.
# # #
*Cannon is editor of the United Methodist Witness, the newspaper of the
United Methodist Church's Southwest Texas Annual Conference.

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United Methodist News Service
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