Deadly Tornadoes Strike;
Drought Extends to Ethiopia

Thursday, April 6, A.D. 2006

Another deadly system of severe weather, including tornadoes, hail storms and driving rains, swept through eight states this past Sunday night. At least 27 people were killed, 23 in hard-hit northwest Tennessee alone. More than 80 people were injured, and several thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. Other states impacted were Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Church World Service issued a spring storm appeal to its member communions after tornadoes ripped through southwestern Missouri and central Illinois earlier in March and has now revised and expanded the appeal to include this latest round of severe weather. Week of Compassion responded to the initial appeal and is now responding to the expanded version. CWS has disaster staff on site and is working with local interfaith partners to support both relief and recovery operations.

In addition, WOC has provided emergency grants to Franklin Central CC, Indianapolis, IN; Sinking Fork CC, Hopkinsville, KY; and First CC, Savannah, MO and Rosendale (MO) CC to assist a number of Disciples families whose homes were destroyed. Also, WOC has made a solidarity grant to Campbellsburg (KY) CC for significant damage to its facilities.

Ethiopia Added to List of Drought-Stricken Countries

Ethiopia has now been added to the list of east African countries in dire need of food assistance as a result of protracted drought, previous crop failures, and years of economic decline. More than 2.5 million Ethiopians are facing malnutrition and disease and are in urgent need of food aid and agricultural rehabilitation assistance. Altogether, as many as 20 million people in the Horn of Africa are affected.

In response to a large Action by Churches Together appeal on behalf of the efforts of four local church partners, CWS is asking its member communions for $200,000 to support famine relief and recovery in Ethiopia. Those efforts include food relief, seeds and tools, water, livestock feed, and capacity building for more than 40,000 households (more than 200,000 people). Week of Compassion is providing an initial grant of $12,000 toward this new appeal. Altogether, WOC has provided and/or pledged $59,000 for this growing catastrophe across east Africa. Appeals for other countries are expected.

Designated offerings are needed and will be used in their entirety for African famine relief and recovery. Gifts can be made online via the WOC website: www.weekofcompassion.org or sent to WOC, attn: Elaine Cleveland, P.O. Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Stories of the impact of the famine on people and communities can also be found on the site.

Map for Congregations

For congregations using the WOC interactive map/poster, disaster/emergency grants this week include the Ethiopian drought; Texas wildfire assistance; Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky tornado assistance; and Missouri, hurricane evacuee assistance. Development projects include food production projects in Angola, Nicaragua, Zambia and Serbia. A complete list of disaster and development responses for 2006 can be found on the WOC website.