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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Oso Landslide


1.  God is with us and will strengthen and guide us through these difficult days.
2.  UMCOR has been and continues to be advised of our situation and is standing by to provide additional assistance.
3. Please do not send "stuff" such as donations of clothing, household supplies, etc. United Methodists relieve suffering by our donations of money through the PNW Conference Office or through UMCOR. Cash donations can be used for the most urgent needs and can be tailored to each individual's situation through case management. When sending donations to the Conference Office, please mark the donations with the Conference Advance Special number 352. 
4. For questions about what your local church can be doing at this time, please consult the Conference Disaster Response Plan.  It can be found on the PNW Website under "Ministries."  Click "Disaster Response," and look for "Disaster Response Plan."  Under that you will find "Section Four, Local Church," which contains the plan that can be downloaded as a unit or in sections.
5. Trained United Methodist Emergency Response Teams are currently standing by and waiting to respond when the disaster officials will allow them into the disaster site.
6. Currently your Disaster Response Team has been and continues to work collaboratively with many other faith-based and voluntary organizations. 
7.  Sunday, March 20th, is One Great Hour of Sharing.  Your donations to UMCOR through this special offering pay all of UMCOR's administrative costs.  In that way, 100% of your disaster donations to UMCOR go to "direct client services."  Please donate to both One Great Hour of Sharing and either UMCOR or conference Disaster Relief number 352.
8.  Please do not drive to Oso or the surrounding area and volunteer to work. This impedes the work of Disaster Response personnel.
9.  As the Search and Rescue continues, please pray for the those impacted by this disaster as well as their families and friends.