Situation:
Hurricane Beryl made landfall along the Texas coast during the early morning on Monday, July 8th as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening into a tropical storm as it moved inland. The storm brought heavy rain and high winds to the region that caused power outages for over two million individuals and widespread damage and debris. Flood warnings have been posted along the coast and high waters have caused several road closures in the Houston area.
Last week, Beryl caused damage across the Caribbean, leaving 11 people dead and destroying or severely damaging infrastructure on several islands.
CWS Response:
CWS’ Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (EPRR) team is monitoring the situation to support impacted communities and, since the initial days of the storm, has been attending relevant Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) coordination calls. CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets, Blankets and Hygiene Kits have been shipped to Texas through a National VOAD member distributing needed supplies to survivors. CWS’ EPRR team also secured temporary housing for an unaccompanied child and their sponsor, who had been without power and needed accommodations.
CWS works with impacted communities long after the initial disaster response phase to identify unmet needs and gaps where our support and efforts are most impactful. We are committed to supporting affected immigrant populations, including unaccompanied children and their sponsors, by connecting individuals to resources and existing support structures.
Your contributions ensure that we can provide critical and life-saving resources to our neighbors when it’s most needed and sustain that support long after the news has left headlines.
How to Help
To support CWS emergency response efforts, donations can be made online or sent to Church World Service (P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515).