08453
June 13, 2008

Presbyterian response continues to Midwest flooding

East Iowa Presbytery office knocked out of commission, PDA responding

by Duane Sweep
Synod of Lakes and Prairies communication director

MINNEAPOLIS — Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is responding with financial support and personnel to  flooding across the Midwest, including Indiana and Iowa, and stands ready to respond as additional flooding occurs in the coming days.

Following the tornado, torrential rains have occurred throughout Iowa — all rivers are at or near flood stage.  The flooding is at or near record levels that were reached in 1993, when the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers overflowed their banks from April until October, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

In Iowa City this morning (June 13) Harry Olthoff, general presbyter for East Iowa Presbytery, said the flooding has reached “brand new territory,” noting that the disaster has gone beyond the description of a “500-year flood.” Olthoff asked everyone to consider making donations to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Flood waters continue to rise, Olthoff said, and the crest is not expected until Tuesday or Wednesday.

An announcement issued by the presbytery late Thursday evening stated, “The Presbytery of East Iowa has no email or internet service due to flooding in our area. Qwest, our service provider, has informed us that we will be down for at least the next 24-48 hours.  Because of this, the Presbytery office will be closed tomorrow, June 13.  We anticipate that we will be able to reopen on Monday, June 16, but this decision will be based on whether or not staff is able to commute to the office since several bridges have been closed.”

The Web site of the Press-Citizen in Iowa City carried the following description of the destruction by Lee Hermiston: “Mother Nature threw just about everything at the Iowa City area Thursday as floodwaters continued to rise and more people were forced out of their homes and businesses.

“Evacuations began in earnest hours before sunrise when the city ordered residents in the Normandy Drive area to leave their homes. Evacuations continued on both sides of the river with residents in Iowa City, in the Idyllwild subdivision and along Foster Road, and Coralville, on Edgewater Drive and Shadow Lane, being told to leave their homes.

“A breach of the CRANDIC railroad embankment at the Iowa River near the Heartland Inn and Old Chicago in Coralville, coupled with rapidly rising waters and storm sewer back-ups, also pushed the Iowa River and Clear Creek to record levels, flooding Highway 6 in Coralville.”

The complete article can be found here.

A bulletin insert prepared for churches in the John Knox Presbytery noted that the presbytery has established a disaster relief fund to receive financial donations. The insert noted, “Please contribute through your local church. Church treasurers should remit money through the usual Presbytery Treasury Service and indicate that it is for JKP Disaster Relief.” Chuck Traylor, executive presbyter for Northern Plains Presbytery, distributed a letter Friday to churches in that presbytery expressing the concerns of all across the synod.

The letter stated in part: “I’m sure that most of you have been following the news accounts of the catastrophic flooding and storm-related damage that is affecting our Synod of Lakes and Prairies brothers and sisters in Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, and Wisconsin. As veterans of catastrophic flooding and weather-related situations yourselves, you are in a unique position to provide aid to the affected Presbyteries.

“The first way you can help is to pray regularly for those whose communities, homes, and churches are affected by the flooding.

“A second concrete way to help is to provide funding for the recovery effort. Donations should be made through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

“Another way to help is to provide clean-up buckets. Information about how to supply these buckets can be found here.

“A third way to help is to send work groups to the recovery area. The PDA link for information about sending work groups can be found here.