Title: Disciples families profoundly affected by NC hurricane
Date: September 29, 1999
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
99c-63
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) - - Thousands of North Carolina families have been dislocated from their homes, farms have been ruined, businesses destroyed, and water, sanitation, highway and other infrastructure systems damaged following Hurricane Floyd last week. The large Disciples community in eastern North Carolina has been profoundly affected by the storm system.
"This part of the Tar Heel State is facing a major humanitarian, economic and ecological disaster," said the Rev. Johnny Wray, director of Week of Compassion for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The homes of hundreds of Disciples families are underwater, many of them without flood insurance. St. Luke's Christian Church in Princeville is submerged. The community of Princeville also is inundated. In addition, an undetermined number of St. Luke's families - - likely more than 100 - - were flooded out.
Five other church facilities also were damaged by wind and flood waters: Armenia, Grove Park, and Southwest Christian churches, Kinston; New Fellowship, Williamston; and First Church, Grifton.
Other communities with Disciples congregations suffering significant losses include: Farmville, Goldsboro, Greenville, Grimesland, Jamesville, Rocky Mount, Wilmington and Wilson. Numerous other Disciples congregations and members escaped direct damage to their facilities and homes but are in communities that have been hard hit, Wray added.
Week of Compassion has sent $52,000 to the regional office in North Carolina to assist 29 congregations, more than 200 Disciples families and untold needs in local communities. WOC also has provided $6,000 toward an initial appeal from Church World Service for $100,000 from its member communions.
These funds will help organize and support local interfaith relief and recovery programs. Those efforts include the short-term appointment of Paris Dunning as a disaster consultant in the regional office. Dunning most recently coordinated a similar flood recovery effort in Augusta, Kan.
Week of Compassion also is working with the Christian Church in North Carolina and Volunteers in Mission to organize work groups. "There will, no doubt, be ample opportunities for clean up work and rebuilding of homes and churches," Wray said. VIM and WOC will provide regular listings of volunteer needs and opportunities as they become available. Work groups are requested to wait until health warnings from biological and chemical toxins have been lifted.
WOC also will provide, as that information becomes available, what in-kind material donations are needed (i.e., clean up kits, bottled water, etc.) and where to send them. "Please remember that the wrong kind of donations or materials sent at the wrong time can create a 'disaster within a disaster,'" Wray said.
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