PLEASE NOTE: Contact information and phone numbers included here are for use by WORKING MEDIA ONLY. Inquiries from members and the public at-large will not receive a response. Non-media inquiries regarding disaster relief should be made to (800) 872-3283.

Presbyterian Volunteer Village Transitions

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 8, 2006)—Presbyterian Volunteer Village operations in the gulf are undergoing some management change and transition. Penny Noel is serving as the Acting Director of the National Call Center as Russ Jackson has moved on to take the position of Business Development Director for the State of Arkansas.

Hometown rockers 3 Doors Down to donate $75,000 to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program on Mississippi Gulf Coast

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

GAUTIER, Miss., (August 4, 2006)—Members of the rock band 3 Doors Down will visit the Presbyterian Volunteer Village in Gautier, Mississippi on Tuesday to present a $75,000 donation to aid Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in its hurricane response efforts.

The band, whose members hail from nearby Escatawpa, Miss., was an early supporter of disaster relief efforts following last fall’s Gulf Coast hurricanes, and continues to raise money for the cause through CD sales and special concert appearances. [Read more]

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance staff member selected to participate in United Nations Training

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 18, 2006)—Luke Asikoye, Associate for International Response for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, has been selected to participate in the United Nations Civil-Military Coordination Training Course in Accra, Ghana. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sponsoring the training with the objective of increasing knowledge about international United Nations-led crisis response focusing on coordination with humanitarian actors in the field. The training is by invitation only. [Read more]

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) outlines unprecedented 7-year budget for Katrina recovery

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 31, 2006)—Recognizing the unprecedented amount of damage caused by last year’s Gulf Coast hurricanes and the extent of rebuilding required, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has outlined a $14.4 million budget for relief efforts that extend through 2013.

Tsunami meets Katrina: Indonesian survivors to share experiences with Gulf Coast counterparts

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 20, 2006)--Eight survivors of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami disaster will arrive in the U.S. this week for a two-week visit of Gulf Coast areas devastated by last fall's hurricanes.

Organized by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), the visit will allow responders and survivors of both tragedies for the first time to work alongside each other and share stories of loss, hope and recovery.

Starting in Mobile, Ala., on Friday, the visit will include hands-on work at PDA Volunteer Villages in Mississippi and Louisiana, meetings with church congregations and meetings with hurricane survivors. The group also will travel to Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis to meet with church leaders, volunteers and other disaster response personnel. [Read more]

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) joins international response to aid Pakistan earthquake survivors

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct.10, 2005)—Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has provided an initial $60,000 and dispatched a disaster specialist to the Pakistan region rocked by a powerful earthquake on October 8th. The PDA response joins an international relief effort by members of Action by Churches Together (ACT), including Church World Service (CWS).

"We have a strong presence in hospitals, colleges and seminaries in that area, so we hope to use that network in many ways," said Susan Ryan, PDA coordinator. "Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) currently has eleven mission coworkers serving in Pakistan; as of this moment, all but two of our mission workers in the region have been reported safe." [Read more]

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) responds to Hurricane Katrina devastation

FOR MORE INFORMATION (working media only) : Pamela Burdine: 502-569-5839 or pburdine@ctr.pcusa.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2005)—Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) relief and recovery teams have been deployed across five southern states in response to the destruction and human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed .

With the storm's Gulf Coast landfall last week, PDA created a $500,000 fund to initiate relief efforts and simultaneously issued a $10 million appeal to its 2.4 million members nationwide. (PDA is a non-profit relief and recovery program of the Presbyterian Church USA. Since 1946, it has provided field-trained disaster teams, financial assistance and human services annually to an average of 35 countries on five continents. ) [Read more]