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July 3, 2002: United Methodists are busy responding to the fires in Arizona, Colorado, and South Dakota. In Arizona, the focus will be on assisting the Apache and Navajo people who are suffering tremendous economic loss because of the drought and fires. In addition to other losses, the White Mountain Apaches lost millions of dollars worth of lumber that was ready to ship. Because of the drought, there is no water on Navajo Mountain-- all water must be trucked in and they are having to significantly reduce the herds that are their livelihood because there is no water for livestock. Disaster response consultants in the Desert Southwest Conference will work with Native American communities to find ways to assist people in recovering from these economic losses. UMCOR has sent an emergency response grant to Colorado where volunteers and disaster response teams are training local pastors in identifying those who need assistance and accessing the available resources for recovery. In the Dakotas Conference, United Methodists are responding to the fires in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Bishop will travel to the affected area on Friday, July 5 to meet with local clergy and lay leadership and Salvation Army representatives. The annual conference is supporting the Salvation Army's efforts to feed firefighters and those who have been evacuated. UMCOR has sent 500 health kits to the Spearfish UMC to be distributed to firefighters and evacuees.
While fires are affecting many areas of the country, flooding is devastating others. There is flooding on the Minnesota/North Dakota border. United Methodists have been helping with cleanup in areas where the waters have receded and have begun case management. UMCOR has made funds available to the Rio Grande and Southwest Texas annual conferences to respond to the flooding in San Antonio and the surrounding area. It is still too early to assess the damage, but it is expected to be extensive. Volunteers are urgently needed in Minnesota. Volunteers are also needed in North Carolina they continue to rebuild houses that were destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Please call (800) 918-3100 if you can volunteer. To provide financial support for these response efforts, give to UMCOR's Domestic Disaster Response, Advance #901670-1.
Two of the most recent disbursements from the Love in the Midst of Tragedy funds include a grant to support grief and bereavement workshops for members of New York City's Muslim community affected by the September 11th attacks, and a grant to support workshops on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the Latino community in New York. As in all of our disaster response work, UMCOR is reaching out to communities and individuals that may otherwise fall through the cracks in the post-September 11th response.
The funds in UMCOR's International Disaster Response, Advance #982450-8 are so low that UMCOR is very limited in its ability to respond to emergencies and critical situations in many parts of the world. Funds are currently needed to respond to the devastating flooding in China, the earthquake in Iran, and flooding in Russia, Nicaragua, and Chile. Please give to Advance #982450-8.
Gifts may be made through local United Methodist churches, or by calling 1-800-554-8583. Credit card donations are accepted. (Read more about how you can help UMCOR's emergency responses.)
UMCOR is providing emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about current UMCOR ministries, please visit the website: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ .
Have safe Fourth of July Holiday weekend. Please pray for those who suffer from hunger, poverty, natural and human-caused disasters.
