August 30, 2007

CWS is working in partnership to respond to flooding in the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, torrential rains brought destructive flooding to the central U.S. Most damage was concentrated in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, where more than 70 counties in all are federally-declared disaster areas. Noteworthy was flooding in and around Coffeyville, Kansas, where a damaged refinery poured 1700 barrels of crude oil into the floodwaters, affecting houses and businesses along the Oklahoma and Kansas border.

Last week, a weather system dropped massive rains on the upper Midwest just as the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin made their way inland, bringing major flooding across a broad swath of the central U.S. Storms felled trees and power lines, leaving an estimated 375,000 customers without electricity just as sweltering heat follows in the storms' wake. Flooding and storms from this event have claimed at least 22 lives.

Illinois

As many as 120,000 without power in northern part of the state

Interstates 80/94 just re-opened, after flooding forced them closed

Iowa

13 counties under Governor's disaster proclamation

Concern about contamination following major sewage spills caused by floods

Michigan

Officials are investigating a possible tornado near Fenton

Fenton: 17 homes destroyed; Eaton County: 12 homes destroyed

Minnesota

Presidential disaster declaration provides individual assistance to six counties, more are possible as assessment continues

Preliminary estimates indicate at least $26 million in flood damage

Estimates indicate 1,500 damaged homes across six counties

Ohio

State's governor estimates 30 communities affected by flooding

Hardest hit is the city of Findlay, with city estimates at 2,700 homes affected; damage to Findlay's schools could top $1 million

Across the state, five public assistance teams are continuing Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs)

Oklahoma

Gov. Brad Henry has asked President Bush to declare Blaine, Caddo and Kingfisher counties disaster areas to receive federal individual assistance

Seven people killed from system that originated as Tropical Storm Erin

Five shelters remain open

Texas

Erin was still a tropical storm when it hit the Texas coast

Massive rains renewed flooding problems in Texas, which has been struggling with floods most of the summer

Wisconsin

Presidential declaration for five counties, as many as 2,700 homes affected

PDA teams will work Tuesday through Thursday to catalogue public infrastructure losses

Preliminary estimates indicate $38 million in damage

Vulnerable communities watch

Excessive heat followed the storm in the upper Midwest, proving problematic for evacuees and clean-up workers

Sequential flooding in Texas hampers recovery

Farmers who faced drought before the storm, will face ground too soggy to plant fall crops

Sewage treatment plants across the Midwest have suffered spills, posing significant health risks. Noteworthy are 27 sewage spills in northern Iowa communities.

CWS Response

CWS contines to focus its response in three areas: training of long-term recovery groups, support of disaster-recovery projects implemented by existing agencies, and early response grants to support operations and programs of long-term recovery organizations.

Training

CWS Emergency Response Specialist (ERS) Tom Davis will provide training sessions scheduled for Rochester, Minn. and Winona, Minn. this week

ERS Lesli Remaly-Netter and Heriberto Martinez are scheduled to deploy to Texas next week for trainings for earlier floods, but will assess needs in newly-flooded areas

CWS anticipates convening tools & training seminars in the affected states and will add follow-up training when needs are identified

Project development

ERSs Lura Cayton and Joann Hale will evaluate damaged areas for potential project development opportunities

Emergency Response Grants

Emergency Response Grants are intended to assist long-term recovery groups in their service to affected communities as soon as possible post-disaster

Given the widespread nature of this disaster, CWS anticipates several grant requests from affected areas.

In addition, CWS has provided protective Tyvek suits and hats, rubber gloves, respirators, and goggles for use in earlier clean-up efforts in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma, allowing residents and volunteers to safely reclaim lost possessions and muck out homes.

Contributions to support these efforts may be sent to your denomination or directly to: Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515

Contributions may also be made by credit card online, or by calling: 800-297-1516, ext. 222.

Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org