by Michelle Scott

New York, July 14, 2005—This week as residents of the Florida Panhandle and Alabama clean up after Hurricane Dennis’ high winds and rains, others inland sweep water out of flooded homes, hoping to dry out before the next storm arrives.

Tensions are high as communities, already battered by last summer’s fierce hurricanes, endured Dennis and now brace for Hurricane Emily, a category 2 storm that recently passed through the Windward Islands.

"We know that a portion of the damage caused by this hurricane is the damage to people's sense of well-being,” says Paul Dirdak, UMCOR’s top executive. “Having such a major storm so early, with another right behind it, increases the feeling of hopelessness. UMCOR knows the importance of pastoral care in a disaster, as well as giving care to the caregivers. We will accompany the people experiencing these difficult times."

Dennis caused the most wind damage in Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties in Florida. UMCOR disaster response executive, Tom Hazelwood, toured areas of Santa Rosa County that were most affected by the storm. He reports that clean-up is well underway with fallen limbs and trees being cut down and moved away.

Hazelwood visited Navarre, FL, where Dennis made landfall, however he was not allowed to the beach area where families were being brought back to their homes for the first time since Sunday’s storm. This area was struck hard by Hurricane Ivan last September. Hazelwood notes that it was difficult to distinguish which storm caused the damage saying, “Usually we could tell by seeing the frayed edges of an old blue tarp. None of the tarps survived Dennis.”

The Atlanta area also suffered great losses from the hurricane. Dennis dumped six to eight inches on the area, already inundated with water from Tropical Storm Cindy the previous week. Creeks and streams breached their banks to unprecedented levels. Floods reached areas that had never before been threatened with high water, damaging homes with no flood insurance. Currently, officials are assessing the flood’s damage to homes, buildings, as well as Georgia’s famed peanut crop.

Your gift to UMCOR's Hurricanes 2005 Global, Advance #982523 will help the many who are hurting as a result of Hurricane Dennis' destruction. Your tax-deductible gift may be placed in United Methodist church offering plates or sent directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be written to UMCOR.You can also give online at www.methodistrelief.org or make a credit card donation by calling 1-800-554-8583.

	See Also... Topic: Emergencies |  GBGM programs |  Natural disasters |  UMCOR |  United Methodist Church |  Partners/partnerships |  Geographic Region: South Eastern U.S. |  United States |  Source: UMCOR Press Releases
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Date posted: Jul 14, 2005