October 28, 2005
By Tita Parham

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Rev. Debbie McLeod has been busy visiting churches and communities in Miami, assessing damages and needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.

McLeod, the superintendent of the South East District of the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, is finding United Methodists in Broward County working hard to help their neighbors, despite their own challenges and a shortage of supplies.

Since Wilma barreled across South Florida Oct. 24, food, water and gas have been scarce. The power is still off in most areas, and Marilyn Swanson, project director for the conference's Storm Recovery Center, estimates it won't be restored until mid- to late November.

"There's a lot of need but no materials," she said from her cell phone Oct. 27, while visiting Rader Memorial United Methodist Church in Miami. "Red Cross shelters are set up, and (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is on the way, but there are 4 million people in the metropolitan area."

The district has the largest population of people affected by the storm. Many have used up their supplies, and poorer residents could not afford to stock up before the storm, adding to the problem, McLeod said.

With little gas available and no buses running, McLeod is concerned the poor and elderly have no way to reach distribution sites. Many in the community are migrant and farm workers – whose livelihoods have been jeopardized because of damage to fields and crops – and people considered working poor.

"There are lots of day laborers who don't get paid if they don't work," she added.

Rader Memorial is trying to make a dent in the problem by serving as a distribution center. A truck filled with supplies from the Florida Conference Disaster Response Depot in Madison arrived at the church Oct. 27 to help establish the center. The church has also been cooking meals on gas stoves in the absence of electricity.

Rosemary Rotolo, who works as an administrative assistant in the district office and lives in the North Miami Beach area, said, "the situation is terrible," with roads impassable and people lining up for water, only to have none arrive. McLeod said people have been waiting in line for as long as six hours for supplies.

"I'm really afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better," Rotolo said.

Like everywhere else, the district office does not have power, and phones are not working consistently across the area, so communication has been difficult. District staff and response workers have contacted all of the churches, but a connection hasn't been made with everyone because of communication problems.

McLeod said damages to the South East District's 84 churches and parsonages range from minor to severe.

While members of Epworth United Methodist Church in Hollywood were drying out hymnals and pew cushions, they were also cooking food for residents and canvassing the neighborhood to see how they could help. The church sustained significant roof damage, "soaking everything inside," according to McLeod.

And with a gaping hole in its roof and nothing but sky above the balcony, McLeod said Christ Church United Methodist in Fort Lauderdale is continuing its outreach in the community and other states. She said teams have been to Mississippi several times to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"It's not just about their damage. At lots of churches, people brought food to the church and are taking it out," she said. "And that's what we're hearing over and over again."

Supplies are running out, and area churches need more. "There is a great need for water and nonperishable food," Swanson said.

A list of distribution sites and needs is listed on the Florida Conference Web site at http://www.flumc.org/.

Volunteers interested in helping throughout South Florida should call the Storm Recovery Center at (800) 282-8011, Ext. 149. The center recommends that teams be "self-contained," since housing and supplies are in short supply. Volunteers should also check the conference Web site for updates.

Assessing damage on Florida's east coast, Christy Smith, disaster response consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, found church members responding to needs in their communities. She saw United Methodists providing shelter, food and pastoral care to those in need.

"Again and again, I am overwhelmed and awed by the dignity of those who endured so much," she said.

In the Tamarack area of Florida, church members went door to door in 19 buildings housing seniors to ensure they have food and other essentials.

Donations to assist with cleanup and recovery after Hurricane Wilma can be designated for UMCOR Advance #982523, "Hurricanes 2005." Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at http://www.methodistrelief.org/. Checks can be placed in local church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068.

United Methodist News Service
Tita Parham is managing editor of the e-Review and Florida United Methodist News Service. Michelle Scott, with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, also provided information for this report.