Disaster Child Care responding in New York, Pacific Northwest.

Six Disaster Child Care (DCC) volunteers are currently serving families affected by storms in New York state. The ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board also is exploring a response to a typhoon in the Pacific Northwest, according to a report from coordinator Helen Stonesifer.

A DCC Center has been set up at FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Buffalo, N.Y., following a surprise snowstorm Oct. 12-13 that dumped two feet of snow in the New York area. The storm caused nearly 400,000 people to be without power for several days. High winds and heavy ice and snow downed trees and power lines. As the snow melted rather quickly, other households coped with basement flooding. Damage ranged from trees that fell on roofs, to several feet of flood water inside of homes, Stonesifer said.

The New York child care center opened Nov. 6 "and will remain open for as long as our services are needed," Stonesifer added. Barbara Weaver from Tonawanda, N.Y., is serving as project manager.

Disaster Child Care also is assessing the needs of families affected by the typhoon in the northwest, where some areas of Oregon and Washington states have received 26 inches of rain in the last day. Almost every river and stream is flooded, with many at 15 feet above flood stage, and heavy rains have forced schools, roads, and industrial closures in the Tillamook area of Oregon, Stonesifer reported.

DCC regional coordinator Carol Elms is contacting disaster relief agencies, such as the American Red Cross and FEMA, to offer child care services and to research the number of families with children who are affected, and if plans are being made to open shelters, service centers, or disaster recovery centers.

Source: 11/08/2006 Newsline