As media report that the death toll from Hurricane Helene has topped 200–with more than half of the deaths in western North Carolina–Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) have begun active responses to aid survivors of the storm and its aftermath.
CDS has deployed volunteers to care for affected children and families in North Carolina. A CDS team of four volunteers deployed on Oct. 1 to Fletcher, N.C., to support locations where the Red Cross is serving in the area. The team has been placed in a shelter with 300 people. Since there is no drinking water, the team is boiling water for drinking water. They are expected to be at work there for the next two weeks. CDS staff are working to put together more teams as needed.
Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing two grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF), one for $20,000 to support the aid efforts of the denomination’s Southeastern District, and another for $10,000 to help pay for and transport needed relief supplies.
In related news:
— Church of the Brethren districts have begun collecting relief materials and donations toward disaster relief following Hurricane Helene, including Virlina District, which adjoins the worst-hit areas in Southeastern District.
— A Church of the Brethren couple, Carl and Linda McMurray, who are leaders in Southeastern District, are among those who have lost homes in the flooding. They have given a moving television interview about their harrowing experiences when their home in Taylors Valley, Va., was swept away, how they were rescued, and how their faith and community helped them survive. “Washington County, Va. couple married for 57 years rescued after home swept away by flood,” was published by WCYB Channel 5 News on Oct. 2. Go to https://wcyb.com/news/local/washington-county-va-couple-married-for-57-years-rescued-after-home-swept-away-by-flood.
Give to the work of CDS and Brethren Disaster Ministries and help support the EDF grants at www.brethren.org/givehurricaneresponse
Find out more about how you can help at www.brethren.org/news/2024/how-you-can-help
Grants support Southeastern District
EDF grants totaling $30,000 have been directed by Brethren Disaster Ministries to support Southeastern District and help pay for needed relief supplies. The district is the hardest-hit area in the Church of the Brethren following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The funds will aid the district in serving an area in the mountainous region of western North Carolina and nearby southwestern Virginia, where massive flooding caused catastrophic damage. Currently, many people in this area are still without power and water, many roads are destroyed, and some communities are still cut off.
The congregations of Southeastern District that are directly impacted include Walnut Grove Church of the Brethren near Damascus, Va., which has suffered the most significant damage to its church building as well as the homes of some of its members.
An Oct. 2 coordinating call between Brethren Disaster Ministries staff and the leadership of Southeastern District and neighboring Virlina District developed a plan for providing relief supplies and financial resources to those impacted by the storm. Both districts are working to help coordinate clean-up and relief supplies and identify churches to serve as staging points for getting supplies into the area of most need.
The planning group is quickly gathering supplies that will be transported to these staging areas as soon as possible. One grant is for $10,000 in funds for the clean-up and relief supplies that need to be purchased. These would include 150 Church World Service (CWS) Clean-up Buckets; 600 Hygiene Kits; Period Packs (depending on availability); 150 gallon containers of Concrobium mold treatment ($6,300); 60 sprayers for applying the Concrobium ($924); gloves; masks for protection from mold; 30 moisture meters for checking level of dryness in flooded homes and businesses–wood must be dry before spraying on the Concrobium ($390). The total cost of supplies and transporting the items is estimated at $10,000.
The grant for $20,000 in emergency funds to Southeastern District is intended to help district leaders and congregations meet financial needs and provide humanitarian assistance for families impacted by the flooding. Among proposed uses for the funds are bedding and supplies for sheltering families, community feeding programs, support for distribution centers, generators, and fuel. The funds also may support the following for survivors and families of victims of the storm: food and water, temporary housing needs, supplies for temporary repairs and securing damaged homes, clothing and household items, fuel for generators and vehicles, medical needs and replacing lost medications, temporary transportation for those who have lost vehicles, funds to help pay bills for those who have lost jobs or experienced job interruptions due to the storm
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff will work with the district to monitor and document the use of the funds.
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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