Wildfire Recovery Underway in Southern California

Thursday, November 1, A.D. 2007

As more than 500,000 southern Californians leave shelters, homes of friends and other places of refuge, many (more than 2000 families) are finding their homes in ashes. At least seven persons died in the fires that stretched from the Mexican border to north of Los Angeles.

Church World Service has deployed an Emergency Response Specialist to begin assessments and begin working with local congregations and church partners to develop a long-term recovery program. Week of Compassion has sent a grant in response to a just-issued wildfire appeal from CWS, as well as grants to Casa de Oracion in San Diego to assist church members impacted by the fires and to United Church of the Valley in Murrieta to support community responses to especially vulnerable families who lost homes and jobs.

Designated gifts for the fires are welcome and will be used in their entirety to support church-based relief and recovery efforts in southern California. Contributions can be made securely online or sent to WOC, attn: Elaine Cleveland, P.O. Box 1986, Indpls, IN 46206.

Tropical Storm Noel Ravages Dominican Republic

At least 81 persons in the Caribbean have been killed by Tropical Storm Noel, at least 56 of them in especially hard-hit Dominican Republic. Scores of people remain missing, and damage is extensive and widespread to hundreds of homes, large amounts of farmland and much of the DR basic infrastructure. Serious damage is also reported in neighboring Haiti.

Church World Service Dominican partner, Social Services of Dominican Churches (SSID), reports that Noel has been the “most catastrophic disaster of recent years.” SSID assessment teams have been deployed and are preparing a response that will be supported by a CWS appeal. Week of Compassion will respond on behalf of the Disciples. WOC is also expecting an appeal from Haitian church partners as well and will respond accordingly.

Churches Respond to Looming Humanitarian Catastrophe in Zimbabwe

Action by Churches Together has issued a $3.6 million appeal to its global network of church partners to respond over the next twelve months to the growing humanitarian disaster in Zimbabwe. An inflation rate now reaching 7000% has had a devastating impact on the country's already impoverished population. Local ACT members, including long-time CWS partner, Christian Care, have identified a significant number of people facing starvation to receive both emergency food aid and long-term food security support.

Food packs of maize, beans and cooking oil will be distributed monthly to more than 51,000 of the most at-risk people. Seeds and other crop inputs, small animal distributions, and community gardens, along with important technical training, will be provided to help more than 6400 rebuild their own food production capacity. Week of Compassion has sent an initial grant of $6000 in support of the appeal, and the WOC Committee, meeting later this month, will consider additional support.

WOC Map/Poster

Click here for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the map/poster for your congregation, call the office at 317.713.2442 or send an e-mail to ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.