Emergency Response

November 11, 2009

Hurricane Ida passed along the Atlantic coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico between November 5 and 9, 2009, but the heaviest damage has been caused by related heavy rainfall and mudslides in neighbouring El Salvador.

United Church of Canada partners report at least 130 deaths caused by the mudslides and floods in El Salvador. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated in different municipalities of El Salvador; 60 people have disappeared and thousands are in shelters. The BBC reports that at least 49 of the dead are believed to be children.

Salvadoran organizations, including partners Emmanuel Baptist Church and the Economic and Social Development Association of Santa Marta (ADES), have been monitoring the emergency situation and providing immediate assistance. They have sent out requests to local and global partner organizations for emergency assistance for food, clothing, temporary shelter, bedding, water, and medicines. A news item with further information and photos can be found at Mail Online.*

The United Church of Canada has provided an immediate rapid response grant of $10,000 for partner efforts. 

The United Church is a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT)*, a global consortium of faith-based agencies and churches that responds to emergencies in all parts of the world. ACT works through regional and country members to respond to specific emergencies. It is able to draw on a standing Rapid Response Fund and relies on extra donations from its members for major disasters.

How United Church Members Can Help

Pray: Please hold people of Central America in prayer.

Donate: You may make a donation in either of two ways:

• Support the Emergency Response Fund of The United Church of Canada.
• Designate a gift for "Central America Relief," and funds collected will be shared directly with partners or networks in the region. Cheques and online donations should be made payable to The United Church of Canada and marked "Central America Relief." The funds will be treated as "designated gifts."

Please note: Designated gifts cannot be counted as M&S Fund credits. However, they are eligible for tax receipts. Congregational treasurers may receive and receipt individual cheques and then forward one congregational cheque to the United Church.

As always with United Church emergency funds, 100 percent of all donations received will be committed to support relief and reconstruction work for people in need. There is no administration fee deducted. This is made possible thanks to the generous ongoing support of United Church members to the church's Mission and Service (M&S) Fund. Contributions to M&S allow the United Church to absorb the staffing and operating costs of processing donations for emergency appeals.

In the case of designated gifts for emergency appeals, the church does allocate 15 percent of your donation to replenish the Emergency Response Fund. These monies are used exclusively to enable the United Church to immediately respond to current and future emergency needs of people in crisis around the world.

For more information contact:

• Jim Hodgson
  Program Coordinator, Caribbean/Central America/Colombia
  Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit
  The United Church of Canada
  3250 Bloor St. West
  Toronto, ON  M8X 2Y4
  Tel: 416-231-7680, ext. 4013
  E-mail: Jim Hodgson