Brethren affected by Hurricane Charley, take part in relief effort.

Hurricane Charley, which cut a swath of destruction across Florida Aug. 13, was the state's worst disaster since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM). Atlantic Southeast District reported that two Churches of the Brethren sustained structural damage and one church member has not been heard from since the storm. Brethren responses to the disaster include a first grant from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund, a shipment of relief supplies, and the dispatching of Disaster Child Care volunteers and an assessment team of denominational and district leaders.

"We covet your prayers and concerns," said Atlantic Southeast district executive Martha Beach. She and pastor Jim Longenecker, of the Arcadia congregation, called for prayers for member Viola Aldrich. "She is from Punta Gorda, and there is no communication in that area," wrote Longenecker in an e-mailed prayer request distributed to many across the denomination. "Please pray she is OK."

The damaged churches were Arcadia, which sustained severe damage and lost one-third of its roof, and Community Church of the Brethren in Orlando, which lost part of its roof causing the drywall inside the building to collapse. Other churches and Camp Ithiel had trees or large tree limbs come down, and many lost water and electric service. In a Sebring trailer park where several Brethren live, including Sebring pastors Cecil Hess and C. Wendell Bohrer, eight homes were completely destroyed and many others severely damaged. One couple from the Sebring congregation had a large tree fall in the middle of their home, Beach reported.

ER/SM staff were in touch with district leaders and other partners in disaster relief since before the storm made landfall. A shipment of relief supplies was made from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., Aug. 19, including 32 cartons of Health Kits and 185 cartons of Cleanup Kits. A first grant of $5,000 was made from the Emergency Disaster Fund. Disaster Child Care project managers were dispatched Aug. 18 and 12-15 child care volunteers have been sent to a staging area in Brandon, Fla., to be deployed from there once it is determined the exact location where they will be serving. An assessment visit was made Aug. 19-20 by Beach, Emergency Response director Roy Winter, and district moderator and disaster coordinator John Mueller, starting in Fort Myers and Arcadia then traveling to Orlando to the Community church and Camp Ithiel.

Winter issued a call for volunteers to help with what he called "a significant Brethren clean up" effort. "It'll be a long time before we start the rebuilding effort, months and months," he said, adding that there will be a need for patience with the pace of work required by the extensive destruction. To volunteer, call the Emergency Response office at 800-451-4407 ext. 3.

The Brethren effort will be made despite what Winter called "huge problems with housing for volunteers and survivors." The Red Cross is considering the need for longterm shelters for thousands of people, he said. Winter also expressed a concern of ecumenical agencies—Church World Service and the National Council of Churches—for "more vulnerable populations" such as migrant workers and farm laborers.

Brethren also are invited to respond to a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for "Gift of the Heart Emergency Clean Up Buckets." The five-gallon buckets with resealable lids are filled with supplies to enable survivors to begin the job of cleaning up after a disaster. Value of each bucket and contents is $45. Buckets are being collected at the Brethren Service Center. For bucket contents and requirements see www.churchworldservice.org, click on "How to Help," then click on "Gift of the Heart Kits."

The ER/SM office issued a list of other appropriate responses, including a call for able-bodied people who live in or near affected areas to participate in organized clean-up efforts, warning that "volunteers must be connected with a bona fide disaster response agency"; a request not to send unsolicited donations of materials; a call to support the relief effort with cash donations to the Emergency Disaster Fund, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; and a call for Brethren to "pray constantly" and "lift up all concerned, the victims, the volunteers, the emergency personnel on site, and the ER/SM staff."

In other news, a Disaster Child Care center was opened in Upper Darby, Pa., Aug. 9, after severe storms brought heavy rain to several counties in the southeast of the state. The storms caused millions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Approximately 30 childcare contacts have been made by ten volunteers.

Source: Newsline 8/20/2004
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