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| After Mudslide |
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| Before Mudslide |
NEWS ON MUDSLIDES IN WASHINGTON STATE
Reported by Jim Truitt, UMVIM ERT Conference Coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Conference (umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net):
Here's what I know as of this morning:
- Mother nature seems to be doing what she does best and is taking care of things herself. The river has topped the mudslide dam and is cutting a new channel. The water is flowing in a well behaved manner and has rejoined the river bed down stream. This dramatically reduces the probablility of a catastrophic release of water and consequent flooding.
- No homes downstream of the mudslide have been damaged thus far. Upstream there are 7 homes with water up to the eaves.
- The town of Darington is cut off from the outside world. There is no road access, communications are down, and I'm not sure about power.
Here's what I've done in addition to notifying you:
- I have sent emails to the pastors at Arlington, Stanwood and Darington to let them know we are available when they need us. I have not heard from any of them so far.
- I have notified the Washington State VOAD and EOC that we have ERTs available when needed. The VOAD will work with the Snohomish County EOC to determine what support they need and when. Our partners on VOAD are communicating with each other to make sure we all know what we're doing or can do. I've had an offer from Catholic Community Services to join forces for muck-out and clean up if needed.
- I have kept George Abrams and Stan Norman informed so the Disaster Response Team is fully aware of our actions.
- I have talked to Rev. Daniel Foster, the Puget Sound DS, and informed him of our actions thus far.
There's not much we as ERTs can do right now. We can't respond until the Emergency/rescue phase is over and they say it's safe to enter. Looking at the pictures of the landslide, it appears it will be quite some time before 530 is open to traffic. In the meantime, I encourage you to be prepared to respond on short notice.
FUTURE TEAMS/VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNTIES
Honduras: May 23-May 31, 2014. Medical mission to Limon, Honduras needs physicians, PAs, NPs, RNs, and other medical professionals. Others are welcomed to assist with Bible stories and crafts. For more information, please email Lou Altman at laaltman@netscape.net
Kenya: July 11-18, 2014. Medical mission needs medical and non-medical persons. For more information, please email Lynn Renne at Irenne@aol.com
Russia: June 12-25, 2014. LAVIM Mission to Ekaterinburg, Russia. Construction and Bible School during week in Ekaterinburg. 1-1/2 days in Moscow and 1-1/2 days in St. Petersburg. For more information, please contact James Gillespie at wgilles293@aol.com
CHILE GATHERING
If you are interested in learning more about mission work in Chile and/or to celebrate the wonderful ministry that is in Chile, please attend the Chile Gathering in Santa Cruz, CA, Sept. 5-7, 2014. If you are interested, please contact Beryl and Stan Moore at chile-gathering@cox.net.
