Iraq: Assistance for Displaced Populations
Megan Brandsrud Iraq has one of the largest populations of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. Recent dramatic events have seen armed groups take over large portions of the north and west of Iraq, driving many people from their homes...
Unaccompanied and Migrant Children: A safe and caring environment for refugee children
Megan Brandsrud During the past four years, the number of children migrating from Central America (mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) to the United States has been steadily increasing. More than 60,000 children have arrived so far this...
Ebola outbreak: “The church has to help”
Megan Brandsrud The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest and longest-lasting Ebola outbreak in recorded history. To further understand the scale of this disease, the Ebola outbreak is actually the first Ebola epidemic the world has experienced,...
Long-term recovery in progress following spring wildfires in California
Megan Brandsrud In May, a series of 9 wildfires broke out in San Diego County, Calif. Severe Santa Ana wind conditions and a heat wave played contributing factors in the spreading of the fires. By the time all of the...
Celebrating Disaster Preparedness Month with new Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook
Megan Brandsrud September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, and what better way for us to celebrate than to announce our newCongregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook! As the introduction in the guide says, “The purpose of this guidebook is to help congregations...
6.0 earthquake strikes near Napa, Calif.
Megan Brandsrud Early Sunday morning, Aug. 24, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco Bay Area. The earthquake, which was the largest seismic event in the area since a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in 1989, injured...