Disaster fund gives grants, disaster projects are completed.

Several grants have been given from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) totaling $50,000, and disaster response staff are celebrating completion of disaster rebuilding and repair projects in Poquoson, Va., and Camp Ithiel in Florida.

The EDF grants are headed by $20,000 for the Brethren Disaster Response work in Florida, where funds will continue clean-up, repair, and rebuilding projects. An allocation of $10,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for peace and rebuilding initiatives in post-war Liberia, including building permanent shelters, distributing tools and seeds, and health services for women, youth, and children. Another $10,000 goes to CWS hurricane disaster response work in nine US states and territories, continuing to provide small grants to recovery groups, trauma response training, "Gift of the Heart" kits, and supporting staff working on longterm recovery. A grant of $5,000 supports a CWS appeal for longterm recovery from severe flooding and mudslides in five US states: California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Arizona. Another $5,000 supports CWS recovery work in the Philippines following flooding and mudslides in Nov. 2004.

In other disaster response news, the rebuilding project in Poquoson, Va., is completed and will close March 19. "In the past 13 months, over 700 volunteers have assisted more than 50 families," reported Jane Yount, of the General Board's Emergency Response. "Well done!" she added in a newsletter for disaster volunteers. "It's difficult to say goodbye to a community that has been so warm and accepting of our presence, but we rejoice at their recovery and healing from Hurricane Isabel."

A project to repair storm damage at Camp Ithiel, a Church of the Brethren camp in Gotha, Fla., also has been completed. Over 100 volunteers worked at the camp and in the surrounding community starting in January. "Now it is time to move on," Yount said, reporting that the project will move to Pensacola, Fla., over Holy Week. Pensacola and neighboring Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties bore the brunt of Hurricane Ivan on Sept. 16, 2004, the third of four hurricanes to strike Florida in a five-week period. Volunteer Glenn Kinsel reported, "Upon flying in over the area, I was immediately struck with the preponderance of blue (tarped) roofs.... The older, non-affluent area of the inner city of Pensacola is indeed in bad shape.... One shocking statistic is that as of now one in eight persons in the area is homeless." Volunteers will repair roofs and water-damaged sections of homes.

For more information about the General Board's disaster response work, see www.brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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