April 28, 2008 Tornadoes Information/Giving/Assisting

In late April and early May, tornadoes ripped up parts of central and southeastern Virginia. Most of the damage occurred in Suffolk, Brunswick County, Colonial Heights, and Stafford County.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is working with the Virginia Annual Conference to assess and respond to the destruction.

The Rev. Frank Jennings, the Virginia Conference "disaster pastor" has been in contact with affected districts. He issued a statement Tuesday, April 29, that said, "Please be patient in these early days we need to assess the correct information. Please do not self-deploy as the area is closed to only authorized persons at this time."

Questions about assistance for the Suffolk area disaster may be directed to Paula King , the Portsmouth recovery coordinator , at willpaulaking@aol.com.  Please include in the subject line what you have to offer (i.e., work team, team housing or meals, supplies, or other resouces etc.)  You may also call Kitty Kent who is coordinating all calls at 757-217-7915.

Monetary donations in the forms of checks may be mailed to the Virginia United Methodist Center, PO Box 1688, Glen Allen, VA 23060. Make the check payable to the Virginia United Methodist Conference with  "Tornado Relief Virginia" in the subject line.

Credit card donations may be made online with UMCOR by visiting http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=901670&div=4

Click here to download the Virginia Conference Disaster Response and Recovery Plan.