Money needed to haul donated hay
The South Dakota Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is working with KNCSB to send donated hay to drought-stricken areas of Kansas.
Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief, issued the following statement:
“As most of you know, western and southwestern Kansas farmers and ranchers endured not only the normal drought-filled spring and summer, they but also battled destructive fires fanned by high winds and extremely dry conditions. Many have been forced to reduce herds to get through the year.
“It has been great to see how God has blessed with donated hay from Kansas and Nebraska. Many testimonies to God’s glory resulted from these acts of charity through His people.
“An effort is now underway to receive donated hay from South Dakota to support ranchers and farmers in Western Kansas. Our first load of large square bales of alfalfa hay is in the pipeline.
“Randy Caddell, director of missions in Western Kansas Baptist Association, heads up our efforts to coordinate this new blessing for those in need.
“The effort in South Dakota is being coordinated through the South Dakota Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. We learned of these gifts through our disaster-relief partner, Dee Smith, Divisional Director, Emergency Disaster Services, The Salvation Army.
“Thank God for His provision. If you know anyone who could donate funds for transporting the donated hay, please encourage them to do so. Please send donations to KNCSB Disaster Relief, 5410 SW 7th St., Topeka, KS 66606.”
World hunger funds urgently needed
Even as volunteers are responding to assist Minot, N.D., residents who have been inundated with water, Baptist Global Response leaders issued a plea this week for World Hunger Funds. Gifts to the fund last year were 60 percent below donations in 2001.
A crisis is brewing in Africa due to extreme drought conditions. Donations to the World Hunger Fund will help Southern Baptists meet some of the urgent needs in the region.
Tornado recovery update
Tornado recovery in Reading, Kan., and Joplin, Mo., continues to be in the hearts and minds of Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists. Tornados hit both communities during the weekend of May 21.
Recovery in Reading, Kan.
On June 15, representatives from approximately 15 non-profit organizations and government entities met to form the Long-Term Recovery Committee to assist Reading residents following the May 21 tornado.
The committee is being facilitated by Steve Burnett, assistant disaster response coordinator of the Kansas East Conference of United Methodist Church.
For information on how to get involved in Reading, contact:
- Steve Burnett, of the Long-Term Recovery Committee, at (785)410-0210 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Lyle Williams, pastor of First Baptist Church in Reading, at (620) 341-3106, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Richard Taylor, director of missions in Kaw Valley Baptist Association, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Recovery in Joplin, Mo.
KNCSB is working with Spring River Baptist Association in Joplin for tornado recovery. Call Angie Slater, the disaster-recovery coordinator, at (417) 291-3471. Send e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Slater is a teacher and will be going back to school in mid-August. She will be serving as the Spring River disaster-recovery coordinator part time after that.
After Aug. 15, you are encouraged to e-mail Slater or call the Spring River Association office at (417) 782-3770. Visit the association Web site at http://springriverbaptist.com/
For teams needing housing and logistics support to serve in Joplin, contact Weir Baptist Camp in Southeast Kansas. Call Delbert Callaway, the camp manager, at (620) 870-8834.
“Your Kansas-Nebraska Disaster Relief ministry is financed totally by your financial gifts,” said Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief. Make checks out to KNCSB, designate them for “Disaster Relief,” and mail them to KNCSB Disaster Relief, 5410 SW 7th St, Topeka, KS 66606.
Be prepared for a flood
Being prepared and monitoring flood conditions allows more time to react to quickly rising water. Sometimes people perceive a river or stream to be at a safe distance or think rain events are occurring too far away to impact them. However, as evident by this year’s flooding, events happening many miles away can have a significant impact on local waterways and flood levels.
High water levels and the longevity of the flood could continue to cause levees to fail or be overtopped, and additional heavy rainfall could cause rivers to rise. The message is clear: stay alert about how the levees or dams near you are holding up as flooding continues and make flood preparations today to help ensure safety and security tomorrow.
Ask yourself: Is your home prepared? Do you have the supplies you need to take care of yourself and family for at least three days?
Long-Term Recovery Committee formed in Reading, Kan.
By Larry Thomas
KNCSB Director of Disaster Relief
On June 15, representatives from approximately 15 non-profit organizations and government entities met to form the Long-Term Recovery Committee to assist Reading, Kan., residents in meeting their long-term recovery needs following the May 21 tornado.
The committee is being facilitated by Steve Burnett, Assistant Disaster Response Coordinator of the Kansas East Conference of United Methodist Church. LTRC members will join together to provide resources, such as volunteer help, funding, or materials to the residents of Reading so they can begin the rebuilding efforts.
Using a case-management approach, Reading residents will meet with a caseworker who will help the individual residents identify their needs and resources available to them for long-term recovery and assist them in forming an individual recovery plan.
The caseworker will present unmet needs to the organizations serving on the Long-Term Recovery Committee, who will then use their resources to try to meet the individual needs. The process for identifying caseworkers has begun, and it is the goal of the LTRC that the application process for Reading residents to apply for assistance will begin within the next week.
Representative organizations currently on the LTRC are:
- Catholic Charities
- Reading Community Development
- United Way of the Flint Hills
- Rotary Club of Emporia
- Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists
- United Methodist Church
- Sacred Heart Church
Organizations and individuals wishing to volunteer, or who would like additional information, should contact Steve Burnett at 785-410-0210 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
KNCSB chaplains serve in Joplin
A KNCSB chaplains’ team served June 5-10 in tornado-torn Joplin, Mo.
Team members were: Gordon and Vi Herb, Wichita, Kan.; Thurman Oliver, Kansas City, Kan.; and Rick Clock, Lawrence, Kan. They served a total of 27 volunteer work days. Statistics included:
- Gospel presentations—29
- Prayed for someone—125
- Handed out tracts—143
- Other contacts—672
- Funeral attended—2
- Devotionals Held—2
“Please continue to pray for the people of Joplin, Mo. Your prayers accomplish more than you think,” said Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief.
Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists are being encouraged to give money to Spring River Baptist Association in Joplin. The Spring River Baptist Association Web site says it has received more donations of supplies than it can store. Monetary donations are needed most. Several giving options are listed on the Web site.
2011 Flooding SEOC Preparation Plan
This document is designed to provide key information on the best available data to prepare for the expected rise of the Missouri River and the associated impacts to levee protection, flood inundation, and processes of reporting key event information. To accomplish this task this preparation plan covers the following areas:
- Dam output, river, and levee information
- Projected Missouri River Basin precipitation
- Inundation modeling and analysis
- Projected mission support requests
- County specific incident management planning
- SEOC activation schedule
- SEOC situation report protocol and distribution
Flooding in Nebraska
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is monitoring flooding in various areas of the state, including the Missouri River on the east.
Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief, asks Southern Baptists to keep updated and to pray.
FEMA severe-weather summary
The following report from FEMA Region VII Emergency Center summarizes severe weather incidents May 21-29 in Kansas. It was sent by Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief.
Summary
Beginning at approximately 1700 hrs on Saturday, May 21, 2011, severe weather impacted the northeastern region of Kansas. This severe weather spurred multiple severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. The major impacts of this severe weather event caused damaging hail, damaging winds, and 14 reported tornado touchdowns.
Rapid damage assessments reported potential damages in several northeastern counties with the most severe being Reading, Kan., located in eastern Lyon County. As a result of these assessments, the SEOC was activated to the Partial Activation level at 2230 hrs on Saturday, 21 May.
Preliminary damage assessments have been performed with immediate response efforts focused in the City of Reading.
As severe weather continued to threaten the state, the SEOC remained at a Partial Activation Level to monitor severe weather and tornado activity across the state Monday, 23 May, into Tuesday, 24 May. The impacts from the storms on Tuesday, 24 May, began in the extreme South and Southwest areas of the state and moved up across the state throughout the day and night.
Several reports of power outages were recorded as well as wind and tree damages, power poles downed, roof damages, cars damaged, out buildings and barns damaged, and flash flooding.
Damage reports on Saturday, May 21, 2011:
Reading in Lyon County, Kan.:
- Population: 247
- EF3 tornado (as determined by National Weather Service)
Preliminary Damage Assessments are complete:
- Only change is to the number evaluated (110). This is a change from report #4 which was 100. No other changes.
- Kansas Assessment Team structural assessments complete
- All search-and-rescue operations are concluded.
- No unaccounted for citizens
- Reports indicate one confirmed fatality and five injuries in varying degrees of severity
- The shelter at the Emporia Senior Center in Emporia, Kan., is now closed
- Animal shelter is open at the Lyon County Fairgrounds
- Most power in city restored
Damage reports on Tuesday, May 24, and Wednesday, May 25:
Rush County, Kan:
- A reported a tornado touchdown approximately 5 miles east of Bison, Kan., along Highway K-4.
- Damage to grain silo and outbuildings
- Estimates of 4.5 inches of rain in a 60-90 minute period causing flooding on roadways.
- Baseball to softball-sized hail.
Barton County, Kan.:
- EF1 tornado (as determined by NWS)
- Weather caused a fire to a Great Bend apartment complex
- Weather caused minor damage at Great Bend Airport
- Weather caused flash flooding
- Several homes were reported destroyed in Ellinwood with one injury
Stafford County, Kan.:
- Reported two confirmed fatalities and severe damages to vehicles and trees
From both weather events:
- Number of confirmed fatalities: 3
- Number of reported injuries: 5
- Agriculture: No reports
- Hospital/medical: No hospital damage reported
- Natural gas: No damage reported
- Pipelines: No damage reported
- Phone service: North side of Reading phone service is out; South side of Reading phone service is operational.
This will serve as the final report for these two weather systems.
Observations from Joplin, Mo.
Larry Thomas, KNCSB director of disaster relief, visited Joplin, Mo., and sent this report:
“I observed great devastation throughout the approximately 1-by-7-mile strip caused by the tornado in Joplin, Mo. The area of devastation is simply awaiting bulldozers, grappler crawlers, and dump trucks. The areas where chainsaw operations can be of benefit are limited. The chainsaw teams in place have been able to assist many people on the periphery of the affected area.
“The Missouri Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Director stated again today that chainsaw, feeding, and chaplain operations would be shut down by next week. I think that his assessment is correct regarding feeding needs and most chainsaw recovery needs. He may be jumping the gun with regard to chaplains’ support. The realization of actual loss of life, property, and in some cases the future as it was known, is far from over.
“At least three churches were forced to hold services in parking lots because they had been requesting and receiving donated materials and their churches have become warehouses. Cases and cases of bottled water are simply sitting out in the open in any flat area. Boxes of clothing are piled in parking lots and around Goodwill donation boxes. It is doubtful that much of the ‘stuff’ well meaning people sent will accomplish much more than take valuable manpower effort from a valid need to find a final resting place in a landfill.
“It is my hope that the thousands of ‘disaster relief’ groups in place yesterday to ensure media photo opportunities have either left or leave soon. I believe that I observed the very best of efforts to assist victims as well as the absolute worst of those who prey upon disaster victims.
“Before anyone sets out for Joplin, please contact local emergency management people and confirm the need for the trip. I can’t have possibly seen all needs while I was there, and local people should be better informed about needs than me. You can find a good contact online by looking up the Spring River Baptist Association. The numbers are working and the office is manned. Steve Patterson is the association missionary and he is the vice-chair of the county organizations active in disaster group.
Continue to pray for the people of Joplin, Mo. Your prayers accomplish more than you think.”
The Spring River Baptist Association Web site says it has received more donations of supplies than it can store. Monetary donations are needed most. Several giving options are listed on the Web site.