Situation Report
Northeast Flooding

Report on Susquehanna Valley and Conklin, New York

by the Rev. Steve Starzer, pastor of the Conklin Presbyterian Church

July 25, 2006

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DR000172
U. S. Northeast Flooding

DR000173
Northeast Church Repair

planning how they best could help those most hurt by the flood waters. As soon as the National Guard allowed, the Conklin Presbyterian Church became “command central” for relief work in the greater Binghamton, New York area. The hamlet of Conklin was at the center of the most damaging floodwaters, but the church stood high and dry just out of reach of the lapping waters of the Susquehanna’s new found river bed. The team of the Rev. Robert Peak of the First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City, New York, the Rev. Tim Devine and the Rev. Jan Devine of the First Presbyterian Church of Endicott and their churches stood at the door of the Conklin Presbyterian Church ready to work.

In the elapsed time, the number of churches and individuals partnering with the Presbyterian effort has become wonderfully ecumenical and even interfaith. The Union Center (New York) Christian Church has led the way among the independent churches. The Rev. Steve Starzer, pastor of the Conklin Presbyterian Church, stated, “Through the combined efforts of PDA, the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley, and so many other churches and synagogues, hundreds of homes have been mucked out and people are learning that they are not in this alone. We are giving them hope out of their chaos!”

The site at the Conklin Presbyterian Church has been a hubbub of activity as hundreds of people are fed three meals a day, hundreds of volunteers go out to clean homes in teams of 4 - 10, and residents of the impacted areas have a central location to come to for comfort, information and supplies in addition to the food and help. The disaster relief agencies that have come into the area have commended the Conklin site as the finest example of grassroots organization they have ever seen. Greg Jenkins, an Elder in the Conklin Church, has used his outstanding management skills to oversee this effort.

While the Conklin Church has served as a haven of hope for the Binghamton area, not all the areas devastated by the flood have been so fortunate. Now the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley, in conjunction with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Office, is seeking ways of using Conklin as a paradigm for other communities and is looking to assist the people of Walton, Deposit and Sydney, New York regions. Under the leadership of Elder Fraser Williams, of the Northminster Church in Endwell, Elder John Schwartz of First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca and the Rev. Ed Kang of the presbytery office, volunteers are being mobilized to reach out to these communities as well.

As the Rev. Steve Starzer said, “Our highest calling is to make the love of Jesus Christ real for these people. They won’t believe us that God loves them if we don’t first show them that we love them in this discouraging time of their lives.” The Presbyterians of Susquehanna Valley are seeking to do just that in the aftermath of the flood of June 2006.