Flood and Tornado Asistance Update

August 15, 2008, Natural Disasters Affect Poor
August 12, 2008, Cedar Rapids, Mental Health
Chicago Fed to Investigate Flood Aftermath
June 27, 2008 VOA News Report on Aftermath in Iowa
June 23, 2008 NYTimes Report on Aftermath in Iowa

Latest Update: 8/16/2008

Latest Report from IAYM (FUM) Disaster Assistance Fund

Cedar Rapids

Read 8/16/2008 Report from Cedar Rapids
I spoke 7/19/2008 with two Friends near Cedar Rapids, Iowa (the hardest hit of all Iowa cities) who are preparing to go to Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) in two weeks and who hope to formulate plans to help those in need in their community. More will be posted when information is learned about how Friends across the country and around the world might be able to help. However the point most ardently made is that needs are at their highest peak right now and possibly increasing as the damage assessments and home inspections proceed very slowly. Many are out of work and the city of Cedar Rapids has lost tax income and buildings such as a museum which even though were not flooded, are closed due to sewer contamination.


Iowa City
For now, we have news that a Quaker Friend is the Executive Director of the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity, in Iowa City, IA, and have added its needs and contact information below for donations.

Iowa (General)
We have news of funds received by Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM) with thanks and the following report from its General Superintendent:
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"I wanted to let you know how this week has gone with the donations for flood relief. With your contacts and the letter that was sent out of our office and circulated throughout FUM we have been receiving funds.

As of today 07/18/08 we have approximately $5,600 in the account (2008 Iowa Disaster Assistance Fund). I have authorized one release to a single mother with four children who lost her washer and dryer in a flooded basement. We will replace the washer and dryer since there is no insurance for her. We have two homes in the Mason City (Riverside Friends), Iowa area that we will send volunteers to help tear out and replace sheet rock sometime in the middle of August.

FEMA has helped with some funds for one of the homes but there isn't any labor available. All the contractors are many months behind at this time.

We have been notified and have received a request to help restore another basement in central Iowa (Bear Creek Friends). It would appear that we can assist with that.

We have some informal requests for cooking utensils, clothes and food. We are encouraging the local Meetings to coordinate these efforts and we can furnish the funds to them. We do plan to offer some assistance to the Mesquakie Friends Center to replace funds they used for food to people that were displaced or received household damage.

Over along the Mississippi near Buffalo Friends we are still awaiting actual damage and replacement information."
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One Friend in New Hampshire has offered to coordinate giving computers to William Penn University, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in William Penn's attempt to supply books and used computers to be donated to a public high school in Parkersburg, IA. See news story 6/12/2008. The high school had no contents insurance, which was totally destroyed before the flood. The high school is being assisted by William Penn University.

More information will be forthcoming on how these in-kind donations can be made to William Penn University possibly with a truck traveling from east to west. So all the wealthy Quaker schools might consider where your old books and equipment can go.
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa

1. Catherine McAuley Center
attn: Wendy Rodriguez
866 4th Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403-2423
(works with immigrants)
Their building is OK, but people they work with live near the river. Friends may donate money or in-kind donations to a Catholic / Quaker charity where one Friend I spoke to volunteers.

(Read more about CMC written by a local Friend)

Read News Articles about CMC

2. Community Health Free Clinic

947 14th AV. SE Cedar Rapids IA 52401Main Telephone: 319-363-0416

(Read testimony by a local Friend about this charity)

- A news story reported 6/27/2008 about home razing in Cedar Rapids.
- A news story reported 6/27/2008 about state and federal funds approved for tornado and flood areas.

3. Partnership for Safe Families

Partnership for Safe Families
Echo Hill Presbyterian Church
1700 B Avenue
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(no website)

Iowa City, Iowa
4. Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity

(click above to see flood needs or to donate online)
Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity
2401 Scott Blvd.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Report 7/31/2008
Office Phone: (319) 337-8949

Iowa - General
5. Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM)

"2008 Iowa Disaster Assistance Fund"
411 College Ave. W.
P.O. Box 657
Oskaloosa, IA 52577

Phone: 001.641.673.9717
Email: iaym ‘at’ mahaska.org

The IAYM office administrator, Mary Thury, said in a recent email:

“This fund would help Quaker Friends in our area with clean-up, property replacement or building work. Any money that would be left in this fund would be directed to our Iowa Friends Disaster Service so that they continue their works.”

If Friends are interested in wiring money from overseas, or have other questions, please call or email Iowa Yearly Meeting

5. Iowa State Education Association
(to assist with 2 schools totally unusable in Cedar Rapids)

ISEA Disaster Relief Effort
777 3rd St
Des Moines IA 50309

http://isea.org

Indiana
6. Friends Disaster Service (Ohio)
c/o Bob and Marge Winn
4609 State Rt. 45, Leetonia, OH 44431
Phone: 001.330.332.2381
Email: bobwinn 'at' copper.net

If Friends are interested in wiring money from overseas, or have other questions, please call or email. Bob Winn told me tonight that they are planning a trip to Noblesville, Indiana within the next two weeks to rebuild homes. The Indiana Friends Disaster Service, already on site at Noblesville has money, but is more geared toward cleanup. Bob Winn rebuilds homes and churches and would be very happy to receive donations to the Friends Disaster Service at the address above.

Kansas

7. Friends Disaster Service - Texas Area
c/o Tom and Kathy Hoke
P.O. Box 1108, League City, TX 77574-1108
Phone: 001.281.332.6631
Email: fdsta 'at' comcast.net

If Friends are interested in wiring money from overseas, or have other questions, please call or email.

In Friendship,
QiN-Hombre

Update Iowa City - Habitat for Humanity

As of 7/31/2008

I spoke to the Executive Director of the Habitat for Humanity -

We have finished phase 1 of de-mucking, and will be continuing with rebuilding and restoring in the future. He recommends political pressure to solve long term needs. Next spring 2009 HFH will need volunteer crews, and they will rank families by income to determine need. Iowa City had 300 homes affected, and a few business. Cedar Rapids had 4000 homes affected 1-2000 will be demolished. They also had substantial disruption of business income and tax base.

Community Health Free Clinic - Cedar Rapids

Community Health Free Clinic Website

A local Friend has said on 6/19: “Of course, the real work is just now beginning- the cleanup will need not just labor and materials, but they are talking about the public health issues involved. The folks who lost their homes are also the lower income folks in Cedar Rapids....this clinic will be a source for folks to get immunizations, and also help for people who are now pushed into our financial bracket, or b/c of flooding have related problems (asthma, need of counseling...etc) The local paper this morning called for more volunteers there. I also volunteer every week there and can also vouch for their effectiveness- but it took me reading the paper this morning to realize that was the place to recommend to you.”

A Quaker Friend wrote again on 6/23/08
Almost all of the funding and work is completely donated. All the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, everyone....the medicines are donated or gotten through different grants. It is not funded by the city or state gvt. . The clinic exists for uninsured and under-insured. The funding is extremely transparent.

Catherine McAuley Center

1. Catherine McAuley Center
attn: Wendy Rodriguez
866 4th Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403-2423
Words by a local Friend:

The Catherine McAuley Center has always worked with the marginalized community: they do refugee work, run the domestic violence shelter (which is very relevant since these types of crises always lead to a spike in that type of violence), teach GED classes....etc They are definitely on the ground, right in the area affected, and already have programs in place. (recently they've been distributing gift cards for people to go and replace basic household supplies). Even the secretary lives in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods, and lost her house. Bob has been volunteering with them ever since he retired, we know the people well and completely trust not only their good intentions, but their also effectiveness and financial stewardship.

Update - August 16, 2008

Dear Friend - you asked me what Iowa Yearly Meeting (C) was doing, and I told you that we would be meeting in the near future and I would let you know. Based upon Whittier Monthly Meetings concerns brought to the Yearly Meeting, IYM(C) decided to make a one time donation of $2,500 dollars in care of Whittier Monthly Meeting for flood relief in Cedar Rapids. In addition, the P&SC committee made separate donations to the Catherine McAuley Center in Cedar Rapids for flood relief.

Another big issue is that 2 schools are completely uninhabitable) also happen to be schools that service that most vulnerable: one school was the magnet schools for disabled kids in the district, and both were the center of their communities. (94+% qualify for free lunch in both. They also were the only 2 schools in the district on a year round schedule, so merging the students into other schools presents an additional challenge) In each case, the school was the very place in the neighborhood that helped keep the families together. There has been a big hue and cry from the parents with the plan to split up the student population, and bus them to different schools in the district. Since the schools themselves offered the before & after school care, etc, this (understandably) also has a number of parents very upset. A group of churches have banded together to collect supplies for a number of these same families, as they are in danger of losing their kids to foster care. (apparently you can't qualify for FEMA assistance if you have either a previous conviction, OR you owe money- pretty well covers everyone, there!) Please see the main page for the address to send donations to the Iowa State Education Association Disaster Effort.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library campaign goes on. You can follow it up by all the articles in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The librarian pointed out that nowhere else has a similar situation happened before. In Hurricane Katrina, it was New Orleans branch libraries that were lost...but this is the first time that she knows of that a MAIN library was destroyed. They are really looking for a place to even temporarily locate. (they currently have two little rooms at the local mall-)

Please email me for the flyer from Partnership for Safe Families, (since there is no web site) that is working to help the families in the school neighborhoods I just described. I know of Gloria Johnson's work, and this organization has been recommended to me by more than one person who asked for suggestions for folks who would like to help the most needy affected by the flooding. (one person I asked is a lawyer for the city of Cedar Rapids, and is very aware of who is doing what- and who is doing what, well) Please see the main page for the address for PFSF in order to send donations.

Thanks for your ongoing help in this-

love,

Deb

Update Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM)

As of July 31, 2008

Dear Friend,

Here is a quick update on the flood relief support thus far. In the last week we have been able to purchase two complete washer/dryer sets for single parent families with small children who had no insurance. A family that lost all of their cooking utensils, which were their primary source of income from baking for Farmer’s Markets, we were able to completely replace. Two households that are low or fixed income that had some insurance but had to pay the deductibles that were a hardship and another single parent who had lost all of the basement furnishings including wall replacement. We should add that all of these losses are due to flooded basements, and are representative of three different monthly meetings.

Additionally, the Iowa Chapter of Friends Disaster Service is setting up a week of work with volunteers for August 11-17 to assist the rebuilding of walls in one or two homes in the Mason City, Iowa area. There are still some plans being considered to assist the Parkersburg tornado area as well for rebuilding or replacement of damaged equipment. This could be in cooperation with William Penn University and the replacement of computers destroyed and not covered with insurance in the Parkersburg School facilities.

Bottom line is that we have assisted six families directly already and two more families will be assisted shortly through the generosity of Friends and friends from across our country. A total of $6,368.73 has been received to date.

General Superintendent - IAYM (FUM)