June 28, 2007

Lake Tahoe Fire

Firefighters seem to have a handle on the fast-moving Angora blaze, only after it has engulfed at least 300 homes and 75 other structures. More than 1,000 residents were forced to evacuate, spending the night in shelters or motels. California and federal officials are on the ground assessing damage, while plans for long-term recovery are already underway.

NorCal VOAD will deploy a team to the area this weekend to begin bringing together community and faith groups interested in fostering long-term recovery, and gauge the level of assistance needed by disaster response groups. "Right now it's an absolute zoo," reports NorCal VOAD volunteer and Christian Reformed World Relief Committee representative Dick Eskes. "They have spontaneous volunteers coming out of their ears. Truckloads of food and clothing are showing up but the agencies that are there have no capacity to handle them."

Two United Methodist Churches in the area, Gardenville and Carson City, are discussing best ways to support faith-based response.

VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES WATCH: While no exact figures have been determined, numerous media accounts indicate many of the homes destroyed are for year-round residents who are service workers for the tourist industry, not vacation homes. California's insurance commissioner is warning many homeowner insurance policies undervalue the replacement costs of homes, making it difficult for lower and middle income families to rebuild.

RESPONSE: Around 700 Church World Service Blankets positioned in a northern California Seventh Day Adventist facility will be moved to the Tahoe region to provide comfort to displaced families in shelters, whose vouchers for hotel stays will run out shortly.

Texas/Oklahoma Flooding

A low-pressure system stalled over the central U.S. has dumped torrential rains on central Texas and Oklahoma.

The Texas counties of Eastland, Burnet, Hood and Williamson have experienced flash floods that have displaced at least 87 families and prompted swift water rescues. Flooding in the last two weeks has claimed 11 lives. The Seventh Day Adventist Community Services and the Salvation Army are assisting state and voluntary agencies in providing care for displaced persons in Texas.

Heavy rains have also fallen over Oklahoma for the last two weeks. Parts of southwest and central Oklahoma were particularly hard hit on Tuesday with 4 to 6 inches of rain over a few hours. Hardest hit areas were in Cotton, Grady, Jefferson, Love, Oklahoma and Stephens counties, and Shawnee/Pottawatomie counties where initial damage assessments show 46 homes sustained major damage and 60 homes sustained minor damage. All counties in Oklahoma remain under a state of emergency, as rains are expected to continue through the weekend.

RESPONSE: CWS will provide informational updates and continue to monitor the progress of long-term recovery organizing in order to pinpoint training needs and project development potential.

For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding please visit www.churchworldservice.org or call the CWS Hotline, (800) 297-1516.

Media Contacts: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin (24/7), 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net