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Volunteer teams needed for Hurricane Dennis cleanup

Jul. 22, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

Volunteer teams will be needed this fall in Alabama and Florida for
continued cleanup after Hurricane Dennis.

The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, U.S. disaster coordinator for the United
Methodist Committee on Relief, said some teams already scheduled for the
continuing Hurricane Ivan repair work were diverted to cleanup duty
after Dennis came ashore July 10.

But more assistance, in the form of both unskilled and skilled labor, is
needed from Labor Day through the fall. "There is a great need for
teams," he told United Methodist News Service. "At this point, there's
still a lot of debris to clean up."

Teams and individuals wishing to volunteer in the Hurricane Dennis
recovery can call UMCOR's Volunteer Hotline toll free at (800) 918-3100.

Assessment of damage from the hurricane shows a path about 10 miles
wide, according to Hazelwood. In Milton, Fla., and the nearby town of
Pace, homes newly rebuilt or repaired after Hurricane Ivan suffered
damage from wind or falling trees. "Milton and Pace seem to have gotten
the worst of it," he said.

According to reports compiled by the denomination's Alabama-West Florida
Conference, extensive damage was done to the sanctuary at First United
Methodist Church in Atmore, Ala., where the organ and Steinway piano
were destroyed. At First United Methodist Church in Flomaton, Ala., the
classrooms and library resource room on the first and second floors
suffered severe damage, and the building had extensive leakage.

In the Pensacola District, numerous churches in Santa Rosa County and
northern Escambia County sustained only superficial damage from
Hurricane Dennis. However, many homes of church members were damaged.

Hazelwood said he plans to work with the conference staff on the
possibility of assisting with case management of Hurricane Dennis
victims.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened disaster recovery
centers in both Florida and Alabama.

Aside from physical needs, the stress from last year's hurricanes and
the recent storm has created an anxiety level "that makes people almost
unable to cope" when hurricane warnings are issued, Hazelwood said. He
and Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster are consulting on how to address the
spiritual and emotional needs of those affected by the hurricanes.

Hurricane Dennis was blamed for several deaths in the South. Outside the
United States, the hurricane resulted in the deaths of dozens of people
in Haiti and Cuba, destroyed homes and crops, and killed livestock.

According to information received by the Rev. Larry Rankin, staff with
the United Methodist Florida Conference, the hurricane destroyed eight
Methodist church buildings in the southeastern part of Cuba as well as
house churches there. About 42 people sought emergency shelter in the
sanctuary of the Methodist church in Niquero, the only Methodist church
in that area not severely damaged.

Elsewhere, communities in Texas and Mexico were assessing the impact of
Hurricane Emily, which struck northeast Mexico on July 20. Southwest
Texas Conference representatives were checking with the Mexican
Methodist Church about disaster-recovery needs in northern Mexico,
according to the conference Web site. Eight Texas counties in the
Brownsville vicinity had light damage, according to Texas officials.

Contributions to United Methodist recovery efforts can be designated to
"Hurricanes 2005 Global," Advance No. 982523. Checks to UMCOR can be
placed in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box
9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. To make a credit-card donation, call
(800) 554-8583 or contribute online at www.methodistrelief.org.

UMCOR also needs donations of flood buckets filled with cleaning
supplies. For more information, call UMCOR Sager-Brown in Baldwin, La.,
at (800) 814-8765 or visit http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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