Churches in Schuylkill County have been working hard to clean up following flooding in their buildings and communities a few weeks ago (read more about that on the PSEC website here). Now heavy rains over the weekend have led to more flooding, even worse than before.
If your church is experiencing flooding and there are needs in your community, please contact Rev. Karl Jones, PSEC Disaster Coordinator, at 570-617-4018.
As the flooding continues and with more rain in the forecast, churches are unable to determine the extent of the damage and long-term recovery plans will need to be established later. For now, the last of the cleanup buckets and hygiene kits that were received for the July flooding are being used, and churches in the Conference are asked to collect more buckets and kits.
Buckets and kits can be dropped off at either:
- St. Peter’s UCC, 277 S. Tulpehocken Street, Pine Grove (contact Pastor Jason Stump to schedule: pastorstump@gmail.com or 757-630-6577)
- Trinity UCC, 446 E. Grand Ave., Tower City (contact Rev. Maureen Duffy-Guy to schedule:mduffyguy@hotmail.com or 570-952-5474)
Emergency Cleanup Buckets should include:
- One five-gallon bucket with resealable lid (if bucket has been used, clean well but do not use if it has held chemicals of any kind.)
- Four scouring pads
- Seven sponges, including one large
- One scrub brush
- Eighteen reusable cleaning towels (e.g. Easy Wipes)
- One 50 oz. or two 25 oz. bottle(s) of liquid laundry detergent
- One 16-28 oz. bottle of liquid disinfectant dish soap
- One 12-16 oz. bottle of household cleaner that can be mixed with water (no spray bottles)
- One package of 48-50 clothespins
- Clothesline, two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.
- Five dust masks
- Two pairs heavy-duty, waterproof dishwashing gloves (latex-free, non-surgical)
- One pair work gloves, cotton with leather palm or all leather
- 24-28 heavy duty or contractor type 30-45 gallon trash bags on a roll and removed from carton
- One 6-9 oz. bottle of non-aerosol insect repellent
All cleaning items must be new – all liquid items must be capped and securely tightened. Place all items into the bucket, making sure they are packed securely to avoid damage during shipment. Snap the lid on tight and seal with packing tape.
Hygiene Kits should include:
- One hand towel measuring approximately 15″ x 28″ to 16″ x 32″ (no fingertip, bath, dish towel or micro-fiber)
- One washcloth
- One wide-tooth comb removed from the package
- One fingernail or toenail clipper removed from the package
- One bath-size bar of soap in the wrapper
- One toothbrush in the package
- Ten standard size Band-Aids
All items need to fit inside a one-gallon plastic zipper closure bag. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal before boxing. Do NOT add any extra items or toothpaste.
We are also looking for one or two churches that would like to specifically collect toothpaste for those effected by the flooding. Toothpaste is left out of hygiene kits because it can expire, but we would like to be able to distribute toothpaste with the kits. If your church is interested in collecting toothpaste or donating a case of toothpaste, contact Karl Jones (570-617-4018).
