Appeal Update #1: 2013 U.S. Tornadoes, Storms and Floods

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, June 6, 2013

Revised Appeal Goal: $100,000 (Up from $55,000) Received to Date: $27,000 Situation: Severe springtime weather continues to adversely affect much of the United States. In recent weeks, storms, floods and tornadoes have hit many states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. On May 15, the EF-4 tornado that hit Granbury, Texas, killed six persons and …

CWS’s Don Tatlock: Home in Texas When the Tornadoes Hit

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, May 30, 2013

CWS Central America and Caribbean Liaison Don Tatlock lives in Granbury, Texas.  His work requires frequent travel to the region, but he was in Granbury on May 15 when as many as three tornados hit the town. “We heard the siren and the televised warnings,” he said.  “My wife and I were home and took shelter in the bathroom.  All …

How Do You Respond?

News & Updates | Posted Saturday, May 25, 2013

When a natural disaster strikes such as Hurricane Sandy or most recently the Oklahoma tornado, how do you respond? There are those who go on social media such as Facebook and Twitter to express their thoughts and send out prayers. While there are others who sit patiently by the television and wait for an update from their local news broadcast. …

CWS, Churches Sending Emergency Supplies for Tornado Survivors

News & Updates | Posted Friday, May 24, 2013

For CWS Great Plains Assistant Regional Director Rebekah Belase, this past week’s devastating tornados struck very close to home.  Belase commutes to her office in Topeka, Kansas, from her home in Stillwater, Okla. Stillwater is about a 90-minute drive from Moore.  It feels even closer – “I have quite a few friends from college who live in Moore and Norman,” …

CWS Emergency Appeal: 2013 U.S. Tornadoes

News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Appeal # 627-Y Initial CWS Appeal Goal: $55,000 Situation: Emergency responders are still in “search-and-rescue” mode, trying to find survivors of a devastating tornado that destroyed large areas of the Oklahoma City area on Monday (May 20). The community of Moore, Okla., was particularly hard-hit. It was still not clear how many people died in the devastation, with numbers fluctuating …

Emergency Cleanup Buckets Urgently Needed

News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, May 7, 2013

As the 2,500th CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket arrives today in flood-ravaged Illinois, Church World Service is appealing urgently for people to replenish its rapidly dwindling supply. Heavy precipitation from early 2013 storms and floods has resulted in widespread and severe flooding in Illinois and other states. “The CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are giving hope and help to survivors,” said Barry …

Survivor Recalls Superstorm Sandy Six Months Later

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, May 2, 2013

It has been six months since Superstorm Sandy slammed into the New York/New Jersey coast, and survivors’ painful memories remain fresh.  So do their needs. CWS Blankets, Emergency Cleanup Buckets and other CWS Kits helped many survivors get through the first days after the storm passed.  Since then, CWS has been helping communities organize long-term recovery groups, which bring together …

Update: Early 2013 U.S. Storms, Floods and Tornadoes

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Appeal # 627-X Revised appeal goal: $80,000 Situation: The past 10 days were marked by a string of weather- and non-weather-related disasters across the United States.  These included: The Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, claiming three lives and injuring 176 persons, many severely.  More than 40 individuals remain in hospitals. The West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion on April 17, …

Appeal Update: Early 2013 Storms, Floods and Tornadoes (US)

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Appeal: # 627-X Appeal goal: $25,000 Situation: Severe weather April 10-13 brought high winds, heavy rains and tornadoes to states in the U.S. Midwest and South.  States affected include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Additionally, a strong winter storm continued to bring heavy snow, hail and freezing rain to the Upper Midwest. The states affected …

Thai-Burma Border Refugee Camp Fire

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, April 4, 2013

Appeal# 700-F Appeal Goal: $40,000 Situation Thirty-six people died in a fire that broke out March 22 in the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp, in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. The fire swept through two sections of the camp destroying nearly everything; the fire was caused by a cooking accident. The victims reportedly included children, elderly and the disabled, who …