Photo: Michael Raphael, FEMA
PDA continues to respond to numerous storms that have affected the United States, including recent tornadoes in Colorado, Iowa, and other parts of the Midwest and South.
With about 100 deaths attributed to tornadoes this year, 2008 has been deemed one of the deadliest for tornado-related deaths in a decade. The tornado season begins in late winter and lasts through mid-summer.
Since January, $216,000 in One Great Hour of Sharing and designated funds have been provided to 27 presbyteries that have been affected by the storms, and 28 volunteer members of the PDA National Response Team (NRT) have been sent to work in cooperation with and in support of local community response efforts.
PDA staff has been in contact with presbyteries in the affected areas and NRT members and PDA funds are available to respond as deemed necessary by the presbyteries and local communities.
NRT members are currently serving in Iowa following the May 25 tornado that killed six people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Parkersburg, a community closely related to Aplington where there is an active PC(USA) congregation. North Central Iowa presbytery staff are engaged in the response efforts.
Many local volunteers are responding to the relief and recovery efforts in the all of the affected areas and seem to be meeting the urgent needs. PDA has not received a request for additional volunteers; however, information will be posted to the PDA web site should there be a need for additional volunteers from outside of the local communities. |
