A Hurricane Update from Dr. Anne L. Burkholder, Director of Connectional Ministries for the Florida Conference

Dear Friends,

Just want to bring you a quick update. The upper two thirds of the conference are faring well. We never lost electricity in the Lakeland area and were able to get back to work immediately.

Our Storm Recovery Center, 1-800-282-8011, ext. 149, was up and running yesterday. We are in the throws of early relief, in areas that are prepared to receive! Please check the website for updates and call to find out where volunteers and teams are needed. http://www.flumc.org

In an odd sort of way, our being so practiced at this (eight storms in 14 months) has resulted in a pattern of preparation that is becoming “normal” and less anxiety producing for us. Of course, Wilma wasn’t ever really headed straight for us at any time, which made our prep much easier.

Electrical outages are the major concern for now throughout the lower 1/3 of the state as it will take upwards of a month to get many areas back up. We have significant low income areas where folks are out of work because of the outages, and they will need support for a while. The South East Coast really took it harder than the South West, and that is where almost one third of Florida’s population lives. Parts of the keys are still under water. Thirty claims were filed by churches for damages just yesterday.

Christy Smith is already here and Tom Hazelwood arrives tomorrow. I am actually comfortable enough that I am leaving for a four day weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary! I think we really are getting to where we are experiencing hurricanes as the “new normal.”

Check the Florida Conference website or call the Florida Conference Storm Recovery Center phone number for continuing updates on how to assist.
Website -- http://www.flumc.org
Florida Conference Storm Recovery Center - (800) 282-8011 ext 149


Thanks so much for your support.


We are in need of the following items:

Non-perishable food—as much as we can get—we will prepare meals as we did here last year.

Baby items—diapers, food, formula, etc.
Personal Hygeine Items
Depends.
Feminine Hygeine Items
Batteries
Tarps
Roofing Nails with Tabs
Water—(please send no more than 20% water on a truck) We need the above items much more!



Anne



Dr. Anne L. Burkholder

Director of Connectional Ministries

Florida Conference

P. O. Box 3767

Lakeland, FL 33802

863-688-5633, ext. 103

aburkholder@flumc.org