UNITED METHODISTS UNITE TO HELP FLOOD SURVIVORS IN LEWIS COUNTY
by Brett DeMond, Case Worker Co-Coordinator

King 5 crew interviews Hailey Gedney
of Rochester UMC.

On Saturday, April 18, 2009, Sunday School children from Rochester United Methodist Church visited the Lewis County town of Adna, WA. They gathered at John Brunoff's dairy farm to meet the cow they had helped purchase. Brunoff is still recovering from the recent years' floods. He lost 258 cows and had to sell the remaining 14 that survived during the 2007 flood.

When the Sunday School heard about his need, they wanted to help. Leaders Danette and Bryan Jones organized a project selling Beanie Babies and candy bars, raising over $650 toward the price of a cow. RUMC's flood fund augmented that to buy a total of 2 cows.

Some of the Brunoff farm's new cows. The Brunoff herd is being rebuilt with the help of donations from various churches.

Other UMC's have joined in the project, including Moscow, Goldendale and Salmon Creek. Salmon Creek has donated more than $4000 just for this part of their flood recovery mission!

To date, Brunoff's herd has been rebuilt to 140 animals, not including new calves. 118 cows are milking, but in order to make a living he needs to at least milk 200.

King 5 filmed the Sunday School visiting the farm, which can be viewed at the King 5 web site. King 5 website

This story was featured on King 5 news.

United Methodists made other great contributions that same day: Salmon Creek brought a gift of donated clothes for the Rochester Community Closet, RUMC’s new clothing bank started by Susie Hawes and June Gelvin.

Also that day, Jim Truitt was coordinating about 40 volunteers from Edmonds, Vashon, Shelton, Salmon Creek, and Fairwood, First United Methodist of Olympia, and St. Andrew’s UMCs at five homes.

What a blessed day to see the joy shared as our churches work in community. For more information on the dairy cow project contact: Brett DeMond, livingart@centurytel.net, 360-402-3037. For more information on the Rochester Community Closet contact: Susie Hawes, sjhawes@qwestoffice.net, 360-280-7797. If you would like to volunteer contact: Ronda Cordill, r_cordill@hotmail.com, (509) 993-6753 Jim Truitt jftruitt@comcast.net, (253) 797-1680

 

HOW LONG-TERM RECOVERY DONATIONS WORK
by Rev. George Abrams, PNW Disaster Response Coordinator

April 8, 2009. Long term recovery for flood victims continues for the rest of 2009. Help someone bring their life back to a new normal after being flooded in January 2009. Contribute now to 2009 Disaster Relief by sending your money to UMCOR and/or the PNW Conference Treasurer's Office.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provides disaster relief through the United Methodist connectional system. UMCOR prefers to work through Long Term Recovery Groups (LTRG)--particularly ones that have United Methodists at the table.

UMCOR/Disaster Relief funds from both local churches and UMCOR itself flow through the PNWUMC Treasurer's Office to disaster victims. The PNWUMC Treasurer's Office sends the money to the treasurer of an LTRG following a request for a specific purpose and amount from the LTRG case manager. This way, there is very specific accounting both at the Conference Office and at the LTRG treasurer's office for the UMCOR and Disaster Relief money spent.

Currently there are 14 LTRGs in Western Washington that we have been working with over the last two months. To see a list of these Long Term Recovery Groups and the group nearest to your church, go to http://www.gbgm-umc.org/disasterteam/blog/.

CASE WORK AND EARLY RESPONSE
by Brett DeMond, Case Worker Co-Coordinator
February 17, 2009

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) work together to connect disaster survivors with God’s care. UMCOR-trained case workers provide emotional support and identify survivors’ unmet needs, find resources to meet those needs and coordinate the application of funds. Besides paying case workers’ and case managers’ salaries, UMCOR funds can be used for direct client assistance such as purchasing materials for rebuilding. Last year, case workers leveraged UMCOR funds with other sources at a 10:1 ratio, expanding the effectiveness of donations tenfold.

When unmet needs include hands-on help rebuilding homes and restoring property, UMVIM teams work with tremendous dedication and caring to make this happen. They are reported to consistently be among the most skilled, organized and reliable volunteers. For more information March (Case Management) and April (Early Response) training, click here.

Case Management is for those interested in helping disaster survivors recover by connecting them with available resources, particularly through the Long Term Recovery Organizations. Early Response Team (ERT) Training is for those who want to enter the disaster area as soon as it is safe to help with clean-up and provide hands-on aid. Contact Brett DeMond at (360) 482-3037 or livingart@centurytel.net to sign up for either class, or to learn more. Ronda Cordill, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Coordinator, can also provide information about the ERT training; contact her at r_cordill@hotmail.com or (509) 993-6753.

---

BISHOP HAGIYA: FROM THE DISASTER ZONE
February 8, 2009
Read Bishop Grant Hagiya's reflections from his visit to the town of Adna in Washington State, one of the areas struck by recent flooding.

Western Washington Disasters Asking for Help
February 3, 2009
by: Ronda Cordill, PNW Annual Conference Coordinator

Now that eight Washington counties have received Presidential declaration as federal disaster areas as a result of last month's severe winter storm, all types of volunteer help are needed. The UMVIM (Volunteers in Missions) program is accepting teams to assist with the clean up and continue the long term recovery of 2007 while needs are being assessed from the 2009 flood. Teams are going down to Lewis County almost every week, some for a week and others for only a day. If you or your church is interested in sending a team, please contact Ronda Cordill UMVIM Annual Conference Coordinator (509-235-5466/509-993-6753 or r_cordill@hotmail.com) or Jim Truitt (253-630-1268 or jftruitt@comcast.net).

If you have never been an UMVIM team leader or worked in a disaster area, the UMVIM Leadership Team will be offering Local Team Leader Training for those who are interested. This is a two hour training that will be offered at several locations throughout the conference. Contact Ronda for dates and times or if you have questions. This is an important element to make sure that you understand the team responsibilities in a disaster and are adequately covered with insurance.

Also, financial donations to assist with the disaster recovery can be sent to the Conference Office. Please make out the check to the PNW Conference Treasurer and designate it for disaster relief. Other donations such as clothing, food, and furniture are not requested at this time. More information can be found at www.pnwumc.org under Disaster Response News.

---

Presidential Disaster Declaration Approved
January 31, 2009

DISASTER DECLARATION SUMMARY | PRESS RELEASE

As of January 31, Lewis County families and businesses that received damages from the January 7th flooding can file claims for FEMA disaster assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). FEMA determines the claimant’s eligibility for the disaster funding program. An inspector will confirm the damages. Once the field report is received and eligibility is determined, checks may be issued. Repairs to second homes and outbuildings are not covered. If some needs remain unmet, applications for a low-interest SBA loan may be the option.

To help with the application process, a disaster recovery center (DCR) was opened at Yardbirds in west Lewis County by FEMA, and another will be opening at the Lyle Building in Morton in east Lewis County in a few weeks. United Methodist churches in Washington, Oregon and Idaho are reminded to also visit the UMC Disaster Response website for additional information on resources.

The President’s declaration (FEMA-1817-DR) authorizes FEMA to provide disaster assistance for residents and business owners in King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Snohomish, Thurston, and Wahkiakum Counties whose homes and businesses were damaged by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides between January 7-16. To view the full text of the official news release, click here.

---

Gregoire Requests Assistance
January 26, 2009

Red Cross Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) are complete.  Over 2,300 homes damaged and over 102 homes destroyed in 9 counties (14 counties were hit) by the recent floods.

Governor Gregoire has sent a request for assistance to the national government for the following counties:  Clark, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties.  As damage assessment continues, more counties will be added to the list.  The request is for assistance for individuals and households; a separate request will be penned by the Governor's office for aid to repair public facilities.  To view the press release outlining the request, click here.

Disaster-stricken areas in Washington are currently awaiting a Presidential Declaration.  This Declaration, which will be based on Governor Gregoire's request, is necessary to activate the Stafford Act and bring in the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Faith-based organizations are helping flood-impacted families. For churches, the steps for requesting United Methodist Commission on Relief assistance, is outlined in the Emergency Response website.

---

Attorney General Warning on Scams
January 23, 2009

Attorney General of Washington, Rob McKenna has issued a warning on flood-related scams.  Scammers targeting Washington residents whose homes were damaged in the recent floods may call home owners offering low-interest loans for home repairs to gather personal information or money.  Unregistred contractors take advantage of homeowners and charge too much or do not do a good job.  To check if a contractor you are dealing with is registered, go to http://www.lni.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/Contractors/.  Flood damaged cars are also being sold to unsuspecting buyers.  For a full text of the Attorney General's warning, click here.