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World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) is preparing to respond to Hurricane Sandy as it bears down on the U.S. East Coast. Just a few days ago, Sandy slammed into Haiti, Cuba, and Florida as a Category 1 storm, with high waves, 80-mph winds, and heavy rain before blowing briefly out to sea.
World Renew DRS volunteers and staff are on standby in the region as the storm blows back onto land and is expected to affect residents in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, New York State, and elsewhere.
World Renew DRS director Bill Adams says the storm track may redamage communities already impacted by disasters in 2011.
“As the storm track for Sandy becomes more defined, it appears to be taking a similar path to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee,” Adams says. “Our volunteers are already present in Schoharie, New York, where we are working on home reconstruction from last year’s disaster.”
Adams and World Renew DRS volunteers are working with response partners in New York and New Jersey as the storm churns northward as well as collaborating with faith-based contacts from both the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church who have a number of congregations located in the affected areas.
“We are working on plans to contact CRC and RCA congregations that could be damaged by Hurricane Sandy,” Adams said. “We want to be able to make assessments in the affected communities and churches as soon as we can get access to them.”
Sandy has already taken more than 40 lives, damaged communities, and destroyed a number of homes in the Caribbean. Forecasters anticipate that Hurricane Sandy will collide with a strong cold front
traveling east in the northern Atlantic that could cause flooding, rain, and in some cases, up to two feet of snow.
Officials in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina have already declared a state of emergency, and National Guard troops are on alert to respond if needed. More will be known in the
coming days as to what kind of response will be appropriate.
Your donation to the World Renew DRS fund “Hurricanes 2012" will help those who are affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Please give generously today.
Or mail your check marked "Hurricanes 2012" to:
World Renew US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
ph: 1-800-55-CRWRC
World Renew Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8