Special Update: September 1, 2004
USA and Bahamas: UMCOR Prepares for Hurricane Frances
UMCOR workers this week redeployed satellite telephones and generators from southwest to central Florida as Hurricane Frances powers up in Atlantic waters. The growing menace of Frances, barreling toward the Bahamas, has put millions on Florida's heavily populated east coast on alert.
UMCOR has issued another urgent call for flood buckets, the supplies volunteers use in post-hurricane cleanups. Specifications for assembly are online. Please note that instructions for assembling UMCOR flood buckets were updated with new details today, Wednesday, September 1.
UMCOR also offers these resources:
A special bulletin insert highlighting UMCOR's disaster recovery ministry is available for download and printing. Please distribute this flyer at Sunday services.
Continuing updates about UMCOR's response to Hurricane Frances and other tropical storms will be posted its Hurricanes 2004 web page. Included in these updates will be photographs taken by UMCOR and links to photographs posted by the Florida Annual Conference. Photos related to UMCOR's response to Hurricane Charley are available now for use on web sites or in church multimedia presentations.
How to Help
Gifts of money are critical during initial stages of response. In the emergency phase of UMCOR's response, donations will pay for specially trained disaster consultants from UMCOR's network, as well as from the Florida Annual Conference of the church, and to locate as many survivors as possible and talk with them one-on-one about their FEMA benefits and other needs. Also part of the initial response are development of long-term recovery plans with each survivor and comfort for those who are afraid or just having a hard time coping with the aftermath of a disaster.
Donations may be made to UMCOR Advance #982410, Hurricanes 2004. Checks may be dropped into any United Methodist Church offering plate, or mailed to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit card donations may be called in toll-free to the UMCOR information line, 1-800-554-8583.
Please give generously and pray for all those in the path of these storms.