wfn.org | [UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 609-Miami churches work on drying out,

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Miami churches work on drying out, reaching out to community

Oct. 28, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

By Tita Parham*

ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS) - The Rev. Debbie McLeod has been busy visiting
churches and communities in Miami, assessing damages and needs in the
aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.

McLeod, the superintendent of the South East District of the Florida
Annual (regional) Conference, is finding United Methodists in Broward
County working hard to help their neighbors, despite their own
challenges and a shortage of supplies.

Since Wilma barreled across South Florida Oct. 24, food, water and gas
have been scarce. The power is still off in most areas, and Marilyn
Swanson, project director for the conference's Storm Recovery Center,
estimates it won't be restored until mid- to late November.

"There's a lot of need but no materials," she said from her cell phone
Oct. 27, while visiting Rader Memorial United Methodist Church in Miami.
"Red Cross shelters are set up, and (the Federal Emergency Management
Agency) is on the way, but there are 4 million people in the
metropolitan area."

The district has the largest population of people affected by the storm.
Many have used up their supplies, and poorer residents could not afford
to stock up before the storm, adding to the problem, McLeod said.

With little gas available and no buses running, McLeod is concerned the
poor and elderly have no way to reach distribution sites. Many in the
community are migrant and farm workers - whose livelihoods have been
jeopardized because of damage to fields and crops - and people
considered working poor.

"There are lots of day laborers who don't get paid if they don't work,"
she added.

Rader Memorial is trying to make a dent in the problem by serving as a
distribution center. A truck filled with supplies from the Florida
Conference Disaster Response Depot in Madison arrived at the church Oct.
27 to help establish the center. The church has also been cooking meals
on gas stoves in the absence of electricity.

Rosemary Rotolo, who works as an administrative assistant in the
district office and lives in the North Miami Beach area, said, "the
situation is terrible," with roads impassable and people lining up for
water, only to have none arrive. McLeod said people have been waiting in
line for as long as six hours for supplies.

"I'm really afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better,"
Rotolo said.

Like everywhere else, the district office does not have power, and
phones are not working consistently across the area, so communication
has been difficult. District staff and response workers have contacted
all of the churches, but a connection hasn't been made with everyone
because of communication problems.

McLeod said damages to the South East District's 84 churches and
parsonages range from minor to severe.

While members of Epworth United Methodist Church in Hollywood were
drying out hymnals and pew cushions, they were also cooking food for
residents and canvassing the neighborhood to see how they could help.
The church sustained significant roof damage, "soaking everything
inside," according to McLeod.

And with a gaping hole in its roof and nothing but sky above the
balcony, McLeod said Christ Church United Methodist in Fort Lauderdale
is continuing its outreach in the community and other states. She said
teams have been to Mississippi several times to help victims of
Hurricane Katrina.

"It's not just about their damage. At lots of churches, people brought
food to the church and are taking it out," she said. "And that's what
we're hearing over and over again."

Supplies are running out, and area churches need more. "There is a great
need for water and nonperishable food," Swanson said.

A list of distribution sites and needs is listed on the Florida
Conference Web site at http://www.flumc.org.

Volunteers interested in helping throughout South Florida should call
the Storm Recovery Center at (800) 282-8011, Ext. 149. The center
recommends that teams be "self-contained," since housing and supplies
are in short supply. Volunteers should also check the conference Web
site for updates.

Assessing damage on Florida's east coast, Christy Smith, disaster
response consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, found
church members responding to needs in their communities. She saw United
Methodists providing shelter, food and pastoral care to those in need.

"Again and again, I am overwhelmed and awed by the dignity of those who
endured so much," she said.

In the Tamarack area of Florida, church members went door to door in 19
buildings housing seniors to ensure they have food and other essentials.

Donations to assist with cleanup and recovery after Hurricane Wilma can
be designated for UMCOR Advance #982523, "Hurricanes 2005." Credit-card
donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at
http://www.methodistrelief.org. Checks can be placed in local church
offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York,
NY 10087-9068.

*Parham is managing editor of the e-Review and Florida United Methodist
News Service. Michelle Scott, with the United Methodist Committee on
Relief, also provided information for this report.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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