REPORT ON HURRICANE WILMA
Submitted by J. V. Morsch, NDR National Field Coordinator

Recently, Hurricane Wilma cut a swath of destruction across southern Florida killing at least five people, flooding cities, upending trees, chewing up roofs, and leaving millions without power and in disbelief. (Twenty-two storms have come to this general area in the last 136 days. Arlene was the first storm on June 9 and now the formation of Alpha a few Saturdays ago, in the Caribbean Sea, broke the old record of 21 storms set in 1933.)  Due to the massive storm damage on power lines, power company leaders say it will take a month before they can restore power in some places. 

For the second year in a row, the Sunshine State also felt the fury of four hurricanes in a single season. National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said last year he doubted it would happen again in his lifetime, but it did, and the evidence is everywhere. While four feet of water covers some communities in Southern Florida, tornadoes were spawned out of the storm in other places all across the state, and heavy wind gusts were felt throughout the state, even blowing a tractor-trailer off an Interstate 4 overpass, landing twenty-five feet below, on Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida. Cars were upended in condominium parking lots in Pompano Beach, Florida, and elsewhere as well as blowing out windows in Miami's downtown high-rise buildings and in other places throughout southern Florida. After loosing their first home during Hurricane Charlie, some lost their second temporary manufactured home that was given to them from FEMA when Hurricane Wilma hit. 

Before the hurricane hit, Nazarene Disaster Response was contacting churches and district offices, encouraging them to prepare to respond to recovery needs as well as have the Rapid Ready Response Teams ready to go. From as far away as  Wiscasset, Maine, Rev. Wally Staples was preparing to drive a truckload of support supplies to assist victims. After Hurricane Wilma hit, Rapid Ready Response Team Leader Roy Shuck had to first clear his own property where he lived, from the uprooted and fallen trees, so he could get his truck out of the driveway and assist people. Rev. Shuck is also one of the disaster response leaders and can be contacted for persons interested in volunteering or providing support (He can be reached by phone at (239) 285-4215).  

The first initial reports of major damages included the church and parsonage in Lake Worth, Florida; Pahokee Nazarene church and parsonage; Ft. Lauderdale Nazarene educational building; and Hialeah Gardens Family of God Nazarene Church, all having major roof and some window damage. Most are without electricity. 

From the Space Coast area and further south to Vero Beach, Florida, on the east coast, pastors reported that many were without electricity, but there were no major building damages. Many suffered minor roof shingle loss and cosmetic building needs.

Although there is some hurricane damage to the Pahokee, Florida Church of the Nazarene (Rev. Danny Moore, pastor), it has been designated as a receiving and staging area for Nazarene disaster recovery volunteers and support. It has also been declared an Emergency Center for the area. To contact Rev. Moore, call 516-924-2587 (church) / 561-924-3564 (home) / or 561-261-3411 (cell phone).  

After setting record high temperatures for the fall months, following Hurricane Wilma, new record low temperatures immediately followed within 24-hours.