Medium-term needs, likely to include assisting local organizations restock food in shelters such as churches, firehalls and schools in the Northeast. Tenn. Another 2,500 blankets will be shipped to Canada this week for distribution via Adventist Community Services. CWS works in more than 70 countries, including the U.S., in disaster relief, human development and refugee assistance. It is a ministry of the National Council of Churches, the nation's preeminent ecumenical organization which includes 34 Protestant and Orthodox member communions with a combined membership of nearly 52 million. January Storms Batter U.S., Canadian East Coast Early January storms brought ice and treacherous weather to the U.S. Northeast and eastern Canada and caused flooding in the U.S. South.
Damage includes downed power lines, agricultural damage and stranded transportation.
Of growing concern in farming areas are the deaths of milking cows because the animals have been stranded and not milked for days. By latest estimates, more than 250,000 people in the U.S. Northeast are still without power, and parts of the region were plagued by an additional foot of snow Jan. 16. Federal disaster aid has also been made available for communities in northeastern and central Tennessee hit by storms and flooding.