Flooding Affects Thousands in Eastern U.S.

Thursday, June 29, A.D. 2006

This has been a disastrous weather week across much of the upper Midwest and along the Atlantic seaboard. Tornadoes, high winds and heavy rains have brought havoc to numerous communities in several states. Tornadoes ripped through Ohio earlier, and now flooding is forcing thousands of residents from their homes in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and other eastern states. Pennsylvania officials are calling the flooding there the worst in 50 years.

Week of Compassion is providing emergency grants to assist affected Disciples families in Central Christian Church, Wooster, OH, First Chritian Church, Scranton, PA, and Benton (PA) Christian Church. We are also working with several regional offices to contact and identify other congregations that might be impacted. Earlier today Church World Service issued a 2006 Summer Storm Appeal to which WOC will also be responding.

Additional Disaster Responses This Week

It has also been a busy week elsewhere, as WOC has made emergency grants to the Disciples community in Congo in response to the fire that damaged the historic Bolenge Hospital and in response to floods and mudslides in China, civil unrest in East Timor, interfaith tornado recovery efforts in Kentucky, hurricane evacuee support in Texas, a capacity building initiative for church partners in Central America, and a seeds distribution program in Liberia. Please visit the WOC interactive map/poster page on the WOC website for a complete list of all the emergency and development responses we've made since the first of the year.