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
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
