HEAVY SNOWS, FLOODING, FIRES AND SHOOTINGS MAKE 2015 A BUSY YEAR IN U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE – DECEMBER 21, 2015
Over the years, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has responded to massive weather events like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy or major earthquakes and tsunamis in other countries. But 2015 brought a new set of challenges to PDA staff and volunteers. “What we’ve had this year has been an extraordinary number of what I call cascading events. They start small and then just keep coming on in intensity,” said the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, PDA coordinator.
Kraus refers to the record rainfalls and accompanying flooding that occurred in Texas in spring and fall, as well as South Carolina. Fires throughout the west displaced thousands of people and put entire communities at risk. In addition, winter weather in the northeast caused major problems. And now, heavy rains have caused landslides and road closures in the Pacific Northwest.
“There were a few dramatic snowfalls that built up in a cascading nature with record snowfall, and then another one, and another one,” she said. “Small congregations in the northeast were overwhelmed; reporting that they had damage, as well as not enough money in the budget to pay for continuing snow removal. Many people were unable to work because of the weather and lost income, which, coupled with many weeks of cancelled church services, impacted offering receipts. In some cases, pastors or staff could not be paid. The snow event unfolded over a month or more.”
Kraus says PDA had to make some extraordinary arrangements because the impact on small, immigrant congregations was huge in the snow-impacted areas.
“Church support is not our primary purpose, but it was really necessary for the stabilization of some presbyteries in the Synod of the Northeast,” she said. “We issued an appeal for funds to support the response, but it was a cascading event, happening slowly over an extended time period. By the time we were able to conduct an assessment of the damage, it was out of the news. So the ability to raise funds was impacted by timing.” (To read the rest of this article click here.)