As you are well aware, the human suffering in Lewis and
Grays Harbor
Counties is profound
following last week’s storm and resulting flooding. Community, federal, state
and church agencies are mobilizing to provide immediate and long term aid to
those who have lost homes, possessions, and in some instances, hope.
After touring the hardest hit areas yesterday, two
national Presbyterian Disaster
Relief specialists, Bob Barnes and Morella Larsen, met with staff
members here in the Presbytery office today. They will be with us for several
days to help coordinate response efforts. In addition PDA has granted us
$10,000 in emergency aid, for which we are immensely grateful. We will be
working with our brothers and sisters in the most devastated areas to determine
how those funds can best be used to get people back on their
feet.
As you have read in previous e-mails from Tony, the
United Way
(360-740-7744) is doing marvelous
work in the Chehalis/Centralia area to address immediate needs. If your church
would like to send a work crew ASAP to help clear debris from homes, they are
the ones to contact. Joyce Carr
(360-748-7298) would be happy to help you make that connection in
order to set up a time and place to work.
Washington Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization
(WIDRO) is also hard at work in the ecumenical community mobilizing workers and
resources. Here is a notice sent out from Associated Ministries this
morning:
SPECIAL
NOTICE ON CURRENT FLOODING DISASTER IN SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON
In case you
are not aware, Associated Ministries is coordinating the ecumenical/interfaith
response to disasters in our state. We have taken over this responsibility from
the Washington Association of Churches at their request. Our lead staff in state-wide disaster
response is Neil Molenaar (neilmolenaar@aol.com, or
1-360-710-7248). Neil has extensive experience in disaster response. The
official name of this program is: Washington Interfaith Disaster Recovery
Organization (WIDRO). His board currently consists of representatives from:
LDS, PCUSA, ELCA, DCC, UCC, Episcopal Church, Church World Service, FEMA, and WA
State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Additional representation is
being added from other religious traditions. Please contact Neil regarding
coordinated responses for relief. Funds may be given through your denomination
or sent directly to AM earmarked for WIDRO. 100% of those funds will go for
assistance. Please understand that it is critical that we coordinate our
responses to the disaster to make sure we make effective use of our resources,
as well as make sure our volunteers are safe. All of our work is coordinated
with the WA State Emergency Operations Center and the Governor's Office.
Thanks so much. David
You and /or someone from your church are invited to
attend a meeting at the
Presbytery office on Wednesday the 12th (day after tomorrow!) at 2
p.m. to hear from Bob and Morella, people from Centralia/Chehalis,
and others, to learn ways you and your congregation can help. We will discuss
everything from organizing work crews to participating in Christmas gift fund
drives for displaced families. We know this is extremely short notice at this
very busy time of year, and we will be sending out information afterward for
those of you who simply can not make it, but if God is calling you to be part of
this recovery effort, this is your chance to be part of making things happen.
If you, your congregation members, or your congregation
as a whole would like to make a contribution to the disaster recovery effort,
you may either send checks directly to the Presbytery office designated for WA
Disaster Recovery, or to PDA, designated to Account Number DR0000015, specified
to Washington
flood relief.
Many Blessings to You this Holy Season –
In Christ,
Lynn