August 22, 2008

A slow-moving Tropical Storm Fay has poured torrential amounts of rain over Florida this week -- in some areas, up to 30 inches of rainfall -- causing serious flooding throughout the state. The storm and resulting flooding prompted President Bush to declare an emergency declaration for Florida. Potentially record-breaking rains are still forecast for the northern part of the state today.

As of Thursday (Aug. 21), three people had died from storm; 696 houses were seriously damaged; 29 county shelters were open in the state, with 639 persons in the shelters. A full damage estimate has not yet been made, but overall damages in Florida from Fay could run into the hundreds of millions, according to some estimates.

Among the hardest hit areas is Brevard County, located in east-central Florida on the Atlantic coast. There, more than 11,000 homes have been impacted by flood-sewage back up and water in homes. One in ten households in the county is below the poverty level.

Storms in 2004 prompted the creation of the Brevard Long Term Recovery Coalition, which will meet at 3 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, at 937 Dixon Blvd., Cocoa Beach. The contact is: Liz at 1-321-720-4956 / or 1-321-631-2740 (United Way).

CWS Response: Emergency Response Specialist Joann Hale is in contact with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as state and denominational liaisons to determine what CWS resources or assistance may be needed in Florida.

Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net