Washington Wildfires

The fire is out in Spokane Valley.
It appears that at least 13 homes have been destroyed.
Following the cleanup phase will come the Long Term Recovery for these families.
You and your church can help these families recover.

Wildfires contine to burn in other places in Washington State this Summer including Stevens County,Tonasket, and others.

To help the families caught by wildfires this summer in Washington State,
send your donations to:

Wildfires 2008
Treasurer's Office
Pacific Northwest Annual Conference
P/O Box 13650
Des Moines, Washington 98198-1009

Early Response Team Training

Date/Time: Monday, August 4, 2008, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Place: Kennewick First United Methodist Church, 421 W. Kennewick Ave. 99336
Cost: Free
Trainer: Larry Powell, United Methodist Committee on Relief Consultant
Registrar: Linda Bauer, golfnbauers@aol.com or
Kennewick First UMC, 509-582-2163

The mission of an Early Response Team is to provide a caring Christian presence, without proselytizing, in the aftermath of a disaster. Its goal is to help provide "safe, sanitary, and secure" environment to those affected by the disaster. The training will focus on guidelines that enable a team to be productive and caring while causing no further harm or being a burden to the affected community.

Long Term Recovery Organizations

Long Term Recovery Organizations have been established in most of the storm damaged areas. The following is a preliminary list of those LTROs and their contact persons. To find out more about receiving storm relief, contact the person in your area.

Lewis County
Jan Nontell, chair, 360-736-8481, jrnontell@comcast.net

Grays Harbor County
Bill Peterson, chair, presbybill@yahoo.com

Pacific County
Dwayne Deskins, chair, dwayned@nlfministries.org

Mason/Kitsap County
Sherri Dysart, chair, sdysart@greendiamond.com

Thurston County
To Be Announced

Washington State Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster
Unmet Needs chair, Jay DeBoer, deboerjay@aol.com

Disaster Response Update

Ending Date for FEMA registration period

FEMA Disaster Assistance Registration closes on February 7, 2008.
Applications must be submited before that date.
To register, call 1-800-621-FEMA or 1-800-621-3362.
Do not let rumors delay your registration--Register Now!

New Phone Number

Washington State Disaster Outreach Service (Crisis Counseling)
1-800-850-8775

Disaster Response Coordinator

Steps to Assistance

As more local churches help flood and storm damaged people, please keep in mind the steps to disaster assistance.

Step 1 Utililize Homeowners/Renters Insurance

Step 2 Register for FEMA/State Assistance

Step 3 Apply for Small Business/Individual (SBA) Loan

Step 4 Apply for Other Needs Assistance from State (must submit SBA loan application first)

Step 5 Ask for assistance from United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and other faith-based relief through the Long Term Recovery Commmittee case worker.

If the local church extends permanent repairs or replacement of lost personal property before all 5 steps have been taken, there is a high risk of inadvertently hurting the client through "duplication of services." Rushing forward with repairs may hurt more than it helps. Please help the client through the process to recovery.

W. WA Disaster Help Line Phone Numbers

Housing Help Line ************************1-866-233-7643

WA State Help Line************************1-800-688-3469

American Red Cross************************1-866-438-4636

Disaster Unemployment*********************1-877-416-7274

FEMA Registration*************************1-800-621-3362

Insurance Commissioner's Help Line********1-800-562-6900

Boistfort Work Teams

Ruth Peterson at Boistfort Valley advises that "work days" are being held on Wednesday and Saturday.
It appears that the need for teams to help clean out houses is coming to an end in Boistfort Valley. Additional cleanup may still be needed in Lewis County. Contact the Lewis County United Way Volunteer Coordinator.
A big expression of gratitude to all of those who have helped with the cleanup.
As we progress from the "Relief" or cleanup phase of the disaster, remember that the next phase is the "Recovery" phase. While the relief phase lasted about 30 days, the recovery phase is likely to last about 300 days.
Please volunteer for the recovery by taking part in a Long Term Recovery Committee in the communities impacted by the storm.

Disaster Response Coordinator.