As news comes in of the devastating effects of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and South Carolina, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is organizing a response that will help sustain life and restore hope in the coming days. “Our hearts break and rise up in prayer for the people along the Atlantic coast and the inland areas of the Carolinas,” says the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, PDA director. “Right now, we need the church’s prayers and financial assistance.”
As Hurricane Florence bears down on the eastern coast of the United States, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Presbyterian Women (PW) are sending out the reminder that September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM). Since 2014, through the Presbyterian Women Disaster Preparedness program, PDA and PW have collaborated to assist congregations and presbyteries to create disaster preparedness plans.
To Breathe Free, a short movie produced by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), will be screened twice in upcoming days at the DC Shorts Film Festival in Washington, D.C. Produced and shot in D.C., the film follows the five-year saga of a Syrian family fleeing the war in Homs, Syria to refugee camps in Jordan to beginning their new life in the nation’s capital.
It’s been a year since a trio of hurricanes wreaked havoc on Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, leaving a path of destruction, major power outages and many people without homes. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in quick succession, pummeled their targets over several days late last summer.
Cleanup continues in parts of the northeast following last week’s heavy rains and flooding. Torrential rains dropped several inches on communities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded and cars were submerged in the muddy water.
A representative from a Kenya-based church organization visited the Presbyterian Mission Agency on Monday to discuss the plight facing South Sudanese refugees. The Rev. Nicta M. Lubaale, general secretary of the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), was hosted by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
More than 100 people are dead and hundreds more are injured or missing following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia. The quake struck Sunday night on the popular resort island of Lombok. Two days later, rescuers are still pulling survivors from the rubble.
The wildfires raging in parts of California are being described by some state officials as among the most destructive in the state’s history. More than 100,000 acres have been charred by the flames, including over 1,300 structures, mostly homes.
A dozen tornados slashed through Iowa recently, leaving behind extensive property damage in their wake. Marshalltown, a community of about 25,000 residents, suffered catastrophic damage to its downtown area.
The congregation of another Presbyterian church is picking up the pieces following a fire last week. The First Presbyterian Church of Girard, Pennsylvania was destroyed after fire broke out early Sunday, July 15. It was one of two Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) churches damaged by fire in four days.
