February 8, 2008

NEW YORK -- Humanitarian agency Church World Service is appealing for donations to help people affected by a rash of tornadoes in the south-central United States -- the deadliest natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

As part of its immediate response the agency already has shipped relief items to affected communities in Arkansas

CWS has sent $22,372 in relief items -- including 200 CWS Blankets, 200 CWS Clean-up Buckets and 1,000 CWS Hygiene Kits -- to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mount View, AK, as that community initiates clean-up and recovery efforts. Another shipment, of 200 CWS Blankets and 500 CWS Hygiene Kits, valued at $7,972, is being sent to Adventist Community Services in Clinton, AK.

CWS anticipates additional requests, said Bonnie Vollmering, CWS Associate Director for Domestic Emergency Response.

"Given the intense damage caused by this storm, CWS anticipates working actively in states where tornadoes and flooding have struck," Vollmering said. "The disaster is still in its rescue and relief phase, and needs are beginning to come to light."

In addition to providing additional material resources to fulfill requests, CWS will deploy staff to assist in training and project development, and issuing emergency response grants to long-term recovery groups forming or re-activating in the coming weeks.

As well, CWS Emergency Response Specialists (ERS) have been in contact with denominational and disaster response partners since immediately following the storm.

"Our Emergency Response Specialists will continue to gather information to communicate with our partners regarding who is doing what and where," Vollmering said. "With this coordination of effort, community needs will be met more effectively."

The death toll from the tornadoes that hit Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee now stands at 57. In all, there were 67 tornadoes, the worst outbreak of tornadoes since May 1985. Damage estimates in one county alone in Tennessee are $47 million.

CWS is appealing to those wishing to help CWS relief efforts in the affected area. Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, or mailed to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: 2008 Southern U.S. Tornadoes (#627-B).

For more than 60 years, Church World Service has provided relief, sustainable development, refugee protection, and human rights advocacy globally and within the U.S. Beyond basic disaster relief, Church World Service focuses on disaster preparedness and mitigation, long-term recovery, and building resiliency within vulnerable communities. Church World Service www.churchworldservice.org is supported by public donations, grants, and by 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican churches and communions in the United States.

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