Hotline | Newsroom | Resources | Search

Programs | About | How to Help | Donate

In the last two months, CWS has responded to a number of storm emergencies on the continental United States, as well as to an earthquake on Hawaiian Islands, requiring the attention of a number of long-term recovery organizations over the next year and necessitating the deployment of CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons (DRRLs) in affected areas, including New York, Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Alabama, Hawaii and Washington.

Additions to the appeal:

• Washington State Flooding: Heavy flooding in Washington where 25 counties have been included in a request for a federal disaster declaration. Greatest damage has been reported in Lewis, Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. A total of 882 single-family homes were affected, including 104 destroyed, 206 sustaining major damage and 572 minor damage.
• North Carolina Tornado: Eight people died in a mid-November tornados that hit Riegelwood, N. C.. A federal disaster declaration has not been issued for that emergency.

CWS Response:

CWS issued this appeal on Nov. 11 to support long-term recovery organizing, the community capacity building work of its Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons (DRRLs), and grants to at least six long-term recovery organizations in the affected states. The original appeal included: October flooding in upper New York state as result of rapid snow melt; September flooding in El Paso, Texas; September flooding in Belen and Hatch, New Mexico; October earthquake in Hawaii; and November tornadoes in Alabama.

North Carolina: The appeal is being expanded to include work in North Carolina, where Charles Moeller, CWS DRRL and chair of the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NCVOAD) reports progress made by local church and community groups in responding to the Riegelwood tornado. Moeller reports that there is “very strong local church involvement,” as well as a range of other community groups.

Faith community representatives at a Thursday, November 30, meeting at First Baptist Church in Armour, N.C. were: Gethsemane Christian Church (Seventh Day Adventist); Life Changing Church (an independent church); Wesley United Methodist Church; Mt. Pleasant AMEZ Church; St John MBC; Charity House (independent); Delco Baptist Church; Riegelwood Baptist Church; Mt. Zion MBC; Acme Presbyterian Church; the Coastal Carolina Presbytery (PUCSA); Perkinsville Missionary Church (independent); and Bethel AME Church.

Other participants, aside from Church World Service, included: American Red Cross, N.C. Baptist Men, Catholic Charities, N.C. Lutheran/Episcopal Disaster Response, N.C. Emergency Management, Columbus County Emergency Management, Columbus County Volunteer Center, Columbus Community College, Delco Fire/Rescue, N.C. Farm Workers, Columbus County Community Disaster Response, Inc. and NCVOAD.

Moeller reports that local leaders have agreed to formalize the relationship between the just-formed Riegelwood Disaster Relief Committee and the existing Columbus Community Disaster Response Committee, with members of the new group saying they appreciate the advantages of working with a group that has an existing 501c3 (non-profit) status as well as an established volunteer network and volunteer center. Temporary chair of the RDRC is the Rev. William Haddock of the Wrightsboro UMC in Wilmington.

Among the focus of current efforts include temporary housing of survivors (all survivor families are now housed); further need to identity unmet needs, with a case management committee being organized to include trained social workers, with unmet needs being passed through a case management committee. As well, a warehouse identified and arrangements being made to supply reconstruction materials, and an offer of $75,000 in building supplies has been made.

Washington: Molenaar is working with the Washington Association of Churches (WAC)’s Faith Based Disaster Recovery Network, which is serving as an umbrella for emerging county wide faith-based/long-term developments.

Groups re-activating or being formed include:

• Skagit County: Skagit Interfaith Flood Recovery (reactivation)
• Snohomish County: Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington (formerly the Interfaith Association of Snohomish County)
• King County: Church Council of Greater Seattle (assuming a disaster role)
• Pierce: Associated Ministries of Pierce County (assuming a disaster role)
• Lewis: White Pass Community Service Center (assuming a disaster role)

(CWS and some denominational disaster programs have funded the groups in Skagit and Snohomish counties during prior emergencies.)

Among the activities that are under way include recent clean-up efforts by Mennonite Disaster Service and the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) volunteers in the Cape Horn area in Skagit County.

CWS expects a series of requests for seed grants from the above-mentioned groups, either in formation or as they are re-activated. A meeting is scheduled, for example, today, Thursday, Dec. ,7 at Sedro Woolley United Methodist Church to consider the possible re-activation of the group’s 501-c-3 (non profit) status.

Contributions to support these efforts may be sent to your denomination or directly to:

Find your local CWS office:

Select your state Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York (Downstate) New York (Upstate) North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming