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.

Super Typhon Haiyan Relief for the Philippines

When you donate money to UMCOR, 100% goes to relief.
Three simple steps to making a Donation.
1.  Write out a check
2.  Write on the check Philippines Emergency # 240235, or International Disaster Response # 982450
3.  Place your check in the collection plate,
         Or send your check to:
             Advance GCFA
             P/O Box 9068
             New York NY 10087-9068
Give Only Money - Do not send food, clothing, medicines, Bibles, or anything else!!!
Your Gift Makes a Huge Difference.

Flooding on the Yukon River 2013

 

House destroyed by blocks of ice.

 

PNW Volunteers in Ministry Teams outdid themselves as they rotated team after team into the village of Galena during the summer and fall of 2013.  Volunteers came from as far away as Texas to join our eight repair and rebuild teams.  Each team worked for two weeks in less than comfortable conditions in the village of Galena.

In a letter to Jim Truitt, PNW Disaster Volunteers in Mission Coordinator, Dolph Diemont, Federal Coordinating Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency stated, "I thank you for your extraordinary service in support of the survivors of Alaska's spring floods.  The help provided by United Methodist Volunteers in Mission was critical to the overall success of the FEMA-4122-DR-Ak housing mission. . . It has been an honor to partner with you as we worked together to help ensure Alaska's full recovery from these devastating floods."

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the PNW Disaster Volunteers in Mission for all their hard work.

No Unsolicited Donations

Donations Management is often known as the second disaster.  Please do  not send unsolicited donations.

Currently there is flooding on the Yukon River in Alaska.  The villages of Eagle, Fort Yukon, Circle, and Galena are experiencing flooding.

Money can always be sent and is much appreciated.  Send money to UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on Relief. 

The same is true at Moore, Oklahoma following the huge tornado.

Please, please do not send unsolicited donations.  Send money instead -- and keep praying.

Ferry County Windstorm Long Term Recovery Group

Ferry County Windstorm Long Term Recovery Group
Executive Committee

Chair - Dick Smith, email Smitty@RCableTV.com
V. Chair - Alex Wirt, email alexwirt@RCableTV.com
Secretary - Bobbie May, email blmay@RCableTV.com
Case Manager - Katie Crane, email ltmar_ie@hotmail.com

Fiscal Agent (Financial Donations)
Curlew Presbyterian Church
P/O Box 524
Republic WA 99166

Ferry County Wind Storm 2012

Local residents of Keller, Washington used the words "wind sheer" to account for the trees snapping fifty feet above ground.

On July 20, 2012, hurrican-force winds, flash flooding, and hail the size of golf balls struck Ferry County leaving the county in the dark.  The storm killed one person, injured 14 people, destroyed 11 homes, and damaged 30 more homes.

The PNW Disaster Response Coordinator, working with the Inland Northwest Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (INW VOAD) assisted in setting up a Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) in Republic Presbyterian Church.  Bishop Grant Hagiya is requesting an Emergency Grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).  This money will match that of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and provide an early operating budget for the LTRG.

For additional information or to volunteer to help, please call Alexander Wirt at 509-846-3519 or email him at alexwirt@RCableTV.com.

White Swan Long Term Recovery

Everyone helped clear land for the new house.  Pictured are Rev. Derel Olson's grand daughter and Rev. Terry Hall, Cheney UMC, in the background.

With the forms in place, concrete can be poured for the foundation.

Volunteers are needed to build the house. Construction will begin on August 6, 2012, and continue until complete. The house is being built for an Hispanic family who lost their home to the fire of February 12, 2011.

For more information, contact Rev. Derel Olson, Toppenish/White Swan United Methodist Churches, cell phone 509-930-5155, office 509-865-2477.  Overnight accommodations are available for singles and for mission teams.