July 20, 2007
This appeal covers responses to flooding in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Torrential rains in late June and early July 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 is 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.
Vulnerable communities watch
Texas:
The state's large immigrant population has been hesitant in past disasters to seek out official forms of assistance.
Mobile home parks appear to be hardest hit.
Oklahoma:
Oil pollution from the Coffeyville refinery settled in South Coffeyville, OK, which will complicate flood recovery.
Flooded communities in northeastern Oklahoma are home to sizable Native American populations.
Low-rent housing areas of Miami, OK, were flooded, affecting former residents of Pitcher, Okla., who settled there after lead mining pollution displaced them.
Kansas
There is concern for communities that experienced significant pollution from decades of heavy metals mining.
First responders have experienced headaches, dizziness, and diarrhea. Oil and raw sewage are possible reasons but more testing is required.
CWS response
Reflecting its recently changed domestic disaster program, CWS will 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
Long-term recovery groups are taking shape in all three states.
Faith-based & community organizations, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have requested training for several groups across Texas.
Emergency Response Specialists Heriberto Martinez and Lesli Remaly-Netter are deploying to Texas July 26 to conduct introductory training overviews for at least eight new long-term recovery organizations and explore advanced training needs.
Martinez and Remaly-Netter are also working with FEMA and local faith community leaders in planning two day-long training workshops for fledgling long-term recovery groups in southeast Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma.
Project development
Emergency Response Specialists Lura Cayton and Joann Hale are surveying affected areas, particularly in northeastern Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.
As damage from oil pollution compounds the regions' environmental problems, CWS expects to support a health and safety project in and around Coffeyville, KS , and South Coffeyville, OK.
In Texas, Marinez and Remaly-Netter will also be conducting preliminary assessments to identify potential projects aimed at assisting the most vulnerable disaster survivors.
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.
CWS is seeking $8000 for an Early Response Grant to support a recovery group covering three of the hardest hit counties in Texas. CWS anticipates grant requests from at least eight other long-term recovery organizations in disaster-affected areas.
Contributions to support these efforts may be sent to your denomination or directly to:
Church World Service
2007 Summer Storms (#6295)
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
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
