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September 26, 2005 Hurricane Relief Update -- Be the hopeEdited by Daniel R. Gangler, director of communication GULF COAST BEGINS DAMAGE ASSESSMENTBALTIM0RE (Disaster News Network) ? At least some Hurricane Rita-spawned floodwaters were receding by Monday morning, and emergency management officials in Louisiana and Texas were able to begin assessing damages in some of the worst-hit areas. Towns and homes along the central Louisiana coastline were inundated with floodwaters. Search-and-rescue continued but was winding down on Monday because officials believed they had located most people who were stranded. Up to 2,500 people were rescued from Vermilion parish in Louisiana over the weekend. Cameron parish was also badly damaged. In Texas, Beaumont and Port Arthur were badly hit, according to state emergency management reports. Farm and fishing areas bore the large brunt of Hurricane Rita. Rita also spawned dozens of tornadoes. One of the worst ripped through near Mississippi State University's campus, injuring four people and severely damaging several mobile homes at the University Hills trailer park. In central Arkansas, a tornado cut a 10-mile swath of damage that affected homes. The good news? Rita did not stall over the south for days as forecasters feared. Instead, the storm moved quickly to the north while weakening. Meanwhile, in Houston -- which escaped the brunt of the storm -- city officials were planning a staggered return of residents to avoid the traffic snarls that happened during last week's evacuation. But by Sunday night, southbound lanes into Houston were already clogged. National faith-based disaster response groups were able to launch an immediate relief effort. Some groups were helping provide emergency supplies to storm-affected people, while others were already beginning to formulate plans for long-term recovery. SOUTH INDIANA CONFERENCE HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORTS (09/23)Churches of South Indiana Conference, if you have been invited to take a mission work team South to help with relief efforts, please contact Elsie Miller at the Conference Center (emiller@sicumc.org or 800-919-8160) and inform her of your plans. Please send Elsie a team list that includes names and addresses of volunteers, where specifically you are going, the dates of arrival and departure, and if there are spaces available for others wanting to volunteer to join your team. Here is important information from the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Web site www.umvim.org/Disaster_Response.htm Until the local logistics and infrastructure in each receiving area are far enough along to actually receive teams, volunteers need to be patient. Often volunteers will pour into an area that is unable to receive volunteers. Instead of being an asset for recovery, they become a burden that slows the effort causing a "second disaster." If your church wishes to take a team to Katrina affected areas, please call ahead before you plan your trip:
(Sager Brown is temporarily closed and evacuated pending Hurricane Rita.) IMMEDIATE NEED FOR WORK TEAM AT WAVELAND, MISS.There is an urgent need for a work team to service about 2,500 people per day, providing food and general assistance at a relief camp in Waveland Mississippi. The current team is being called home this weekend. Someone from the current team will be available on site until Tuesday to help transition this project to the next team. Teams can rotate in and out to continue to serve these needs. A team should consist of 12 to 16 people. There are adequate sleeping facilities and showers are available. A mobile kitchen is in use for food service for the evacuees as well as the work teams. There currently are about $200 of supplies on hand. Given the urgency involved, first responder training is not required. Please contact Stan White at 512-581-1018, Elijah Mitchell at 228-539-9332 or UMVIM at 404-377-7424 for further details. SECOND MISSISSIPPI STAGING AREA AT KAMP KATRINARight now, a big need is in the Mississippi Coastal area of Bay St. Louis and Waveland. An area dubbed "Kamp Katrina" has been set up in the parking lots of Wal-Mart and Kmart at the intersection of Hwy 603 and Hwy 90. Hundreds of folks are there -- filing for aid with different agencies, seeking relief supplies, and living there due to displacement. At this time, security is being provided by National Guard troops. According to the Bay St. Louis police, this is a great place to send relief supplies and volunteers. Driving directions from Hattiesburg: Take I-59 South to Picayune. Take the 2nd exit, which is 43 South to Kiln. When 43 dead ends, take 603 South to Kiln/Bay St Louis/Waveland. 603 will dead end at Hwy 90. The folks are at that intersection in the parking lots of Kmart, Wal-Mart and Sack & Save. The National Guard and Miss. Highway Patrol both assured us they are NOT setting up checkpoints or making special requirements for who can enter the area. You can get through to these people in need. The dynamics of need and relief change hourly around here. As your arrival date approaches, we may learn of other areas where your services are more needed. If you're bringing supplies, there is need for bleach, rubber gloves, metal rakes, large plastic buckets, sunscreen, insect repellent, diapers and canned food goods. Clothes are NOT needed! It's too labor intensive to process clothing, however, new underwear for adults and children is needed. Contact Marcus Robinson at 601-583-1711, or Bruce Case, at his e-mail pastorjbc@hotmail.com. According to Bob Babcock, SIC disaster response coordinator, the Salvation Army advises work teams to carry with them potassium tablets (or lots of bananas), Gator Aid, anti-bacteria hand soap, bandages and antibiotic cream. REQUEST FROM SEASHORE DISTRICT MISSISSIPPI UMCsTeams are needed now to work on 21 United Methodist parsonages on Mississippi Gulf Coast damaged by Katrina in the Seashore District of the MS Conference. Contact UMVIM Coordinator for Miss., Robert McCoy at 662-365-5818. Interested teams MUST Fax to 662-365-5846 their anticipated dates of arrival and departure in Miss., a brief summary of skills, team size, and how self-sufficient is the team logistically? Also, include the leader's name and contact information in your letter. A cell phone number is essential! Medical Personnel: One avenue currently open for medical personnel to become involved is through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To register please log on to www.hhs.gov, click on the Hurricane Katrina link and complete the requested information. You also can call 1-866-528-6334 for further information. Carolyn Ellis, SIC Volunteers in Mission Coordinator, said she is not coordinating a "Sept. 28" team. Carolyn along with team leaders, who have already volunteered in Gulfport, will be meeting to organize how to best utilize the many people of South Indiana who have volunteered for hurricane relief efforts. If you have called to volunteer and have not been contacted yet, please be patient. Carolyn or Elsie will be in touch with you. Ellis is planning (possibly early October) a VIM training session. Those who are willing to be a team leader and those who have never volunteered in relief efforts are encouraged to attend. Please contact Elsie Miller at the South Indiana Conference Center at 800-919-8160 if you are interested. Attached are the updated (pastor's signature requested) VIM Trip forms. These forms may be downloaded from the conference website at www.sicumc.org. Volunteers In Mission Application Completion of these forms is mandatory and where indicated need to be notarized. All completed forms must be mailed to: Elsie Miller, GBGM Volunteer, 1520 S. Liberty Dr, Bloomington, IN 47403-5167. Your application will then be forwarded to the Carolyn Ellis, the Conference VIM Coordinator, for approval. The Coordinator will contact you for availability and assignment. For more information, please contact the Conference Center at 800-919-8160. Completion of this form is not mandatory. The NCJ UMVIM Administrator is compiling a database of volunteers and would appreciate this information. This insurance is a supplement to your own personal health insurance policy; your policy is primary. Please make a photocopy of your insurance card and give to the VIM team leader assigned. If this insurance is needed, please note that we need to send it to the General Board one month prior to the trip. VIM Insurance is $0.75 per day per participant (including trip departure and return dates). Please make check payable to South Indiana Conference and return with your forms. Contact information:
SOUTH INDIANA CONFERENCES ANNOUNCES VIM TRAINING OCT. 13The South Indiana Conference Volunteer In Mission Coordinator Carolyn Ellis announced today that there will be a two-hour VIM training session for those wanting to work in hurricane relief efforts in the Gulf States region. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Carmel United Methodist Church, 621 S. Range Line Rd., Carmel, IN 46032. If your church plans to attend this training, please RSVP Elsie Miller in the South Indiana Conference with the name of your church and how many volunteers from your church will be attending this workshop. Call toll-free 800-919-8160 or by e-mail to emiller@sicumc.org. Another VIM training workshop will be held in Centenary UMC in Evansville with VIM Coordinator Carolyn Ellis at a time and place to be announced soon. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN GULFPORTThose churches and individuals interested in volunteering for relief work in Gulfport, Mississippi, please contact the Rev. Randy Anderson in Evansville. Anderson is coordinating Volunteer in Mission efforts with the Trinity United Methodist Church in Gulfport. Please call Anderson at 812-867-3920 or by e-mail at pastorrlanderson@aol.com. HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF TEAM LEAVING NEXT WEEK FOR GULFPORTThe Rev. Mark Need of Columbia City, Ind. will be leading a Work Team to Gulfport, Miss. Oct. 2-8. This team will be doing heavy clean-up work and all participants must have current Tetanus shot. Cost is approximately $157 per person. Contact Mark for more information or to volunteer 260-244-7671 or mneed@ccumc.us FORT WAYNE HOSPITAL SUPPORTS EMPLOYEES WORKING IN RELIEF EFFORTSUnited Methodist-related Parkview Health in Fort Wayne is fully supporting the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in a number of different ways, and fully supporting employees who want to go to the Gulf Coast area to help. Parkview's response to the disaster, under the leadership of Charlie Mason, Parkview Health CEO, is already evident in many ways:
For more information, contact the Rev. Ann Steiner Lantz, Director, Chaplaincy Services at ann.lantz@parkview.com or 260-373-4470. INDY CHURCH FEDERATION SEEKS EIGHT VOLUNTEERS FOR HOUSTON PROJECTThe Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis announced a "Family-to-Family Volunteer" project being done in conjunction with the Interfaith Council of Houston, Texas. This is a three-month full-time volunteer program which promotes building relationships and support for displaced families now located in Houston, Texas with church families to help integrate these families into the Houston area communities and culture. According to the Rev. Angelique Walker-Smith, executive director of the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, the volunteers need excellent communication and organizational skills, strong faith-based background (teacher, mentor, pastor), and prior management experience in dealing with people of various economic and social backgrounds. For more information, contact the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis at 317-926-5371. ONLINE RESOURCES FROM THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCHFor online hurricane relief resources, information, worship and prayer aids, contact information and online links in The United Methodist Church , log on to http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=9888 Get UMCOR updates online at www.umcor.org # # # If you know someone who has yet to sign up for e-HUM, they simply need to send a blank e-mail from their preferred e-mail account to add@inareaumc.org. e-HUM Alert copyright 2005 by Indiana Area United Methodist Communications. |
