9/8/2010

Guatemala under a state of emergency due to rain, floods, mud slides  

Tom Heaton, a Hoosier missionary related to the Indiana Conference living in Guatemala, reported during the weekend that mudslides have caused much devastation and food for many is in short supply. He says there is little government money to help.

Guatemalan authorities say at least 36 people have been killed in landslides caused by weeks of heavy rains. In the worst incident, a hillside collapsed on a crowd of volunteers as they tried to dig out a bus buried by a previous mudslide. At least 20 bodies have been recovered, but the search for around 40 people still missing has been suspended for fear of further landslides. Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom has called the disaster a national tragedy. He visited the scene where rescuers were digging frantically to find people buried in thick mud on the Inter-American highway north of Guatemala City. “This weekend alone, we have seen damage comparable to what we experienced with Agatha,” Colom said, referring to a tropical storm that killed 165 people in May. Appeals are being made to the United Methodist Committee on Relief for assistance. – BBC

If you wish to contribute to Guatemala relief efforts, presently, there are two avenues. One, directly to Mission Guatemala, 4725 Mansfield Drive, Newburgh, IN 47630 or Mission Guatemala-Project Salud y Paz, Advance #14060A through the General Board of Global Ministries.  

Floods threaten core of Pakistan

NEW YORK (UMNS) — The floodwaters covering Pakistan are sweeping away homes and crops and destroying the country’s schools, health-care centers and roads – the essence of its social system. That is why faith groups must support relief efforts alongside international governments, says a United Methodist working there for Church World Service, a United Methodist ecumenical partner in disaster relief. “This crisis is so big it threatens the core of Pakistan,” declared Sidney Traynham in a telephone interview from Islamabad. Up to 20 million people have been affected as the waters have covered an area in Pakistan equal to the size of England. Millions are homeless and 6.5 million acres of crops have washed away in Sindh and Punjab provinces. Church World Service is providing food, shelter assistance and other items in three provinces: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh –directly benefiting more than 193,000 individuals.

The organization’s six existing basic health units and three mobile health units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly Swat, Mansehra and Kohistan, have treated thousands of patients and provided health education about waterborne diseases. The Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey, UMCOR’s top executive, has called Pakistan’s situation a “crisis is of major proportions” and has urged church members to assist flood survivors. The agency has given more than $100,000 so far to ministry partners providing relief there, but has had to dip into other general funds due to a lack of donations for Pakistan. United Methodists can support UMCOR’s assistance for Pakistan by donating to Pakistan Flash Floods UMCOR Advance #982450.

Alert about e-mail for funds for the UMC of Pakistan is hoax

NEW YORK (UMCOR) – The United Methodist Committee on Relief has been made aware that there is an e-mail and letter circulating among United Methodist entities requesting funds for the people of Pakistan through the United Methodist Church of Pakistan. There is no bishop or annual conference recognized as part of The United Methodist Church in the nation of Pakistan. If you receive this e-mail, please do not respond. We encourage concerned United Methodists to support the people of Pakistan through The Advance, an accountable, designated-giving arm of The United Methodist Church that ensures 100 percent of each gift reaches its intended mission or ministry. Please give to: Pakistan Flash Floods UMCOR Advance #982450 . More information on UMCOR’s work can be found at www.umcor.org. Thank you for your continued support.

 

UMCOR assists rehab efforts in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UMNS) – The United Methodist Committee on Relief, the church's relief agency, is helping Grace Children's Hospital build a rehabilitation infrastructure that will provide both immediate care and the foundation for a long-term program to meet the rehabilitation needs of adults and children, including earthquake survivors, in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The agency also will assist the hospital as it develops a professional force of rehabilitation specialists trained in physical and occupational therapies. Donations to support UMCOR’s work in Haiti can be made online here.