wfn.org | Community Response to Hurricane Isabel Ongoing

["Ann Walle" <awalle@churchworldservice.org>]

HURRICANE ISABEL RESPONSE MEDIA ALERT			

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE RESPONSE TO HURRICANE ISABEL
FIVE DISASTER LIAISONS ON SITE FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO PHILADELPHIA
DONATIONS COUNSEL 

New York City - 9/25/03- While Hurricane Isabel was still centered about 600
miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., Church World Service positioned its
domestic response staff in North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania, in
order to best assist these communities when the storm hit land.  

As ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions affected portions of the
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts, Church World Service had also already
pre-positioned blankets, "Gift of the Heart" health kits, and clean-up kits. 

CWS rapidly responded to this impending emergency, mobilizing five Disaster
Response and Recovery Liaisons (DRRL), in areas expected to experience
significant impact.

Church World Service Disaster Liaison Charlie Moeller was in Raleigh, NC, at
the state Emergency Operations Center, in preparation for response in North
Carolina.  Meetings of North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in
Disaster (NCVOAD) and the North Carolina State Interfaith were held Friday
(9/16), to help the community organize response to long-term need.

Tim Johnson and Tom Davis were in Richmond, VA, to respond in Virginia and
North Carolina; Joann Hale and Heriberto Martinez were in Philadelphia, PA,
to respond in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC and West
Virginia.

Church World Service Executive Director John McCullough had plans to be in
North Carolina on September 22, with hopes to participate in the global
agency's regional fundraising CROP Walk. Instead, McCullough said, if needed,
he would participate in supporting his agency's response efforts and
assessments of storm damage.

In the aftermath of the storm, CWS Disaster Response teams instituted a
Vulnerable Community Watch, a proactive move to identify vulnerable
communities affected by this disaster--particularly those that have not had
media attention or have had little or no assistance from emergency relief
services thus far.  

Communities especially vulnerable to flooding, wind, and debris are being
identified.  There is particular concern for fishing villages, migrant farm
workers, factory workers, and other immigrant populations scattered along the
inner and outer coasts from the head of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland/Delaware
to Hyde County, North Carolina.

In North Carolina, DRRL Charlie Moeller and Carolyn Tyler of North Carolina
Interfaith have traveled extensively over the eastern part of the state to
meet with faith leadership and are developing plans for reactivating former,
and organizing new, interfaith long-term recovery groups.  

In Virginia, DRRL Tim Johnson has continued to work closely with governmental
leadership to support Voluntary Organizations Assisting Disaster (VOAD) mass
care and communications.  Initial meetings with Virginia Council of Churches
and denominational disaster response coordination leadership are identifying
possible areas for recovery group organizing.  CWS "Gift of the Heart" health
kits, CWS blankets, clean-up kits, and school kits were forwarded to aid
vulnerable families in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA, area.  

In Maryland, DRRL Tom Davis has visited affected areas in and around
Baltimore, particularly the area highlighted in the Vulnerable Community
Watch, making early impact assessments in coordination with local churches
and government officials.  A meeting of the Black Chamber of Commerce with
faith community leaders is scheduled for today (Thursday 9/25) at the Asbury
United Methodist Church in Annapolis.  "Gift of the Heart" health kits,
cleanup kits and blankets were sent to St. Matthews United Methodist Church
for distribution to vulnerable families affected by the hurricane in the
Baltimore area.   The Baltimore American Red Cross picked up 300 CWS blankets
the morning after Isabel made landfall to meet urgent shelter needs.

In Delaware, DRRL Tom Davis met with community and FEMA officials on
September 23.  Although damage there seems to be light from Hurricane Isabel,
damages from Tropical Storm/Depression Henri September 5-6 appear to be
significant in some areas outside of Philadelphia and Wilmington.  

The Church of the Brethren warehouse in New Windsor Maryland, the primary
staging area for CWS material assistance, is on alert for additional
emergency shipments.

Church World's Service Emergency Response Program is supported by the
American Baptist Churches USA, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church
of the Brethren, The Episcopal Church, International Orthodox Christian
Charities, Lutheran Disaster Response, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance,
Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ/Wider Church Ministries,
and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. 

						###

Ann Walle
Phone: (212) 870-2645
e-mail: awalle@churchworldservice.org

CASH DONATIONS COUNSELED

New York, September 24 - To help people affected by Hurricane Isabel, go to
your bank account, not your closet or food pantry, counsels an organization
which coordinates faith community disaster response efforts.

"Cash is always preferred over material donations," says Rick Augsburger,
director of Emergency Response at Church World Service (CWS), a New
York-based humanitarian and relief agency serving the U.S. 

"With cash donations, organizations responding to disasters can quickly
acquire exactly what is needed based on damage assessments," he explains. 
"Cash also can purchase goods and services in the disaster-stricken community
and thus boost its economy at a critical time."

Material donations often aggravate the disaster, Augsburger says.  Sometimes,
they aren't needed - usually the case with clothing and food.  Or they may be
needed when they are shipped, but not needed when they arrive at the disaster
site because needs change from day to day in the aftermath of a disaster. 
And material donations, even if appropriate, entail shipping, storage,
sorting, and distribution costs.

"In short, cash donations facilitate effective, efficient use of disaster
response resources in addressing needs," Augsburger summarizes.  "Materials
donations usually add to the cost."

So to whom should you give your money?

"Look to experienced volunteer disaster response agencies first," Augsburger
advises, "one recognized for a particular role in disaster response.

"They provide valuable assistance for people to rebuild their lives
physically and spiritually.  Yet they're often strapped for funds for these
vital services."

CWS and its member communions work in long-term recovery, focusing on the
unmet needs not addressed by organizations providing the initial response. 
Faith groups typically help disaster survivors develop their own recovery
plans and work with them to get assistance they need to fully recover.	They
also send volunteers to disaster sites to repair and rebuild homes.  Through
Church World Service or individual denominations, your money goes to work to
support long-term rehabilitation.  

	For more information about disaster response donations, visit the CWS
web site at www.churchworldservice.org, or write to request Disaster
Response:  How You Can Make a Difference from Church World Service, Suite 7,
475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115.  

Contact:	Ann Walle	
		CWS Director of Marketing and Communications
		212 870 2654
		awalle@churchworldservice.org 

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