Presiding Bishop's Fund Aids Hurricane Cleanup
Episcopal News Service. September 8, 1983 [83161]
NEW YORK (DPS, Sept. 8) -- A late summer emergency grant from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief will be used by the Diocese of Texas to help congregations begin repairs and rebuilding brought about by Hurricane Alicia.
A week after the storm's wind and floods had taken lives and battered properties in Galveston and Houston, a diocesan spokesman reported that 60,000 people were still without power, but that most immediate needs for food and shelter were being met by the Red Cross. About 10 parish properties suffered some damage, he said, and the $5,000 from the Presiding Bishop's Fund would be used to help repair rectories, sanctuaries, and parish halls before the resumption of full Church activities in the fall.
A week later, the Fund was called upon to answer another emergency when construction of an residence and school for refugee and orphan boys was forced to halt because anticipated grants were late coming through. The Evangelical Homes for Boys project in Ramallah is sponsored, in part, by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and Jerusalem's bishop coadjutor, the Rt. Rev. Samir Kafity expressed fear that the rampant inflation of the Middle Eastern countries would jeopardize completion of the project if it had to be halted. The Fund sent $10,000 continue construction.