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CWS Update: 2006 Summer Storms

August 4, 2006

Recovery continues from a series of storms that unleashed flooding and tornadoes in a wide area of the country since June. Flooding hit portions of east coast, mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, while a storm that caused serious wind damage affected parts of North Dakota.

In areas where CWS is focusing efforts, damage included:

In New York, flooding and mudslides in June left five dead and more than 800 homes destroyed, with the hardest hit areas being Binghamton in Broome County, Walton in Delaware County and parts of Montgomery County and Schoharie County.

At least 476 homes affected in northeast Ohio, including Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties in the most recent storms of late July -- floods that prompted state and federal emergency declarations. This followed storms and tornadoes in a number of other Ohio communities in July, including northern counties of Cuyahoga, Huron, Erie, Sandusky and Lucas. In all, Ohio is coping with flooding from June 22, July 10 and July 28.

Coleharbor, N.D., suffered severe to total damage to all 50 some homes and three businesses in the town the second week of July. The small central North Dakota community bore the brunt of straight-line winds of 100 mph.

CWS Response

In New York, CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison (DRRL) Joann Hale is guiding formation of five recovery groups and has been conferring with CWS partner denominations and state Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) networks throughout the affected region. At this time, five areas are targeted: Broome County, Delaware County (Sidney and Walton separately), Montgomery County and Chenango County.

This week Hale reported that a ministerial association in Delaware County will form a long-term recovery group to respond to unmet needs and would include a wide spectrum of local denominational support, including American Baptist, Presbyterian, United Methodist, United Church of Christ (UCC) and Assemblies of God churches and in Montgomery County the Reformed Church of America. "They will do it collectively," Hale said after meeting with local church leaders.

In Ohio, representatives of the Ohio Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), including CWS denominational partners including Lutheran Disaster Response, United Methodist Conference and United Church of Christ are organizing two new recovery efforts in Huron/Erie counties and Cuyahoga County and revitalizing a third group in Lucas County from early July storms. New community recovery groups will likely form in the eastern counties affected by flooding in the past week. CWS DRRL Lesli Remaly is attending an August 16 Ohio VOAD meeting and is working with organizing partners to provide training for long-term recovery leadership for the following week. She reports this week that CWS is likely to provide grants to assist as many as five of these local groups.

In Coleharbor, N.D., CWS is collaborating in providing recovery leadership in a community that currently has no active or open congregations meeting. It is expected that CWS will provide a grant to a local ministerial group that expects to do case management work. Bonnie Turner (Lutheran Disaster Response), Richard Allen (United Church of Christ) and United Methodist representatives have provided support and outreach to the community. The July 12 storm "pretty much devastated the town" - an example of small disaster that has "really gotten lost in the news," said DRRL Tom Davis, who is heading up CWS efforts to assist the group.

CWS has issued an appeal to fund seed grants to long-term recovery organizations and support DRRL deployments to provide community organizing and training assistance.

Long-term recovery organizations facilitated by CWS DRRLs work together to address unmet needs of vulnerable people who do not receive sufficient assistance from existing government disaster assistance programs and personal resources including insurance plans.

Contributions to support these efforts may be made by credit card online or by calling (800) 297-1516, ext. 222; or by check to:

Church World Service
2006 Summer Storms #6290
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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