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UMCOR Responds to Current Disasters Around the World
Updated: February 2020
UMCOR Responding to Mississippi Floods
Flood waters in Mississippi have risen to levels that surpass records set in 1902 and 1880.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Saturday, February 22 in response to the disaster and in anticipation of further rainfall. Flooding in Jackson, Mississippi has led to evacuations in the city and surrounding areas.
UMCOR-trained Emergency Response Teams are active throughout the state, maintaining contact with conference and disaster leadership. They are supporting the current response and recovery efforts and are ready to support additionally as events develop.
Please give now and pray!
You are there when you give to help a neighbor.
Please make a gift online to UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response, today.
Earthquakes in Puerto Rico
Leaders and staff of the Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico and ReHace IMPR report they are working hard to assist those impacted by the many devastating earthquakes that have struck Puerto Rico recently. They are addressing urgent needs, providing shelter, distributing supplies, and conducting assessments and outreach.
UMCOR has awarded a solidarity grant to undergird these initial response efforts. An UMCOR team will be traveling to the island to conduct an assessment and determine how best they can support the MCPR and ReHace in their response efforts.
Please join us by making a donation to the response efforts. Thank you for your sustaining prayers and generosity!
How to help
To donate to Puerto Rico and other response efforts within the U.S., donate to the U.S. Disaster Response Advance #901670 for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Donations for International Response can be made through UMCOR’s
International Disaster Response Advance #982450. Money from this fund is used to respond to disasters around the world.
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» UMCOR starts efforts for Bahamas relief (Sept. 5, 2019)
As Hurricane Dorian continued to threaten the U.S. east coast, United Methodists were connecting with Methodists in the Bahamas to start relief efforts.
The Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church already is fielding requests to help those being evacuated from the “unprecedented devastation” to receive basic supplies and find a place to live, says its president, the Rev. L. Carla Culmer.
But the survivors also need someone to hear their stories. “We want to see how we can counsel and listen and be there for them,” she told UM News in a Sept. 5 phone interview.
After striking the island nation on Sept. 1, Hurricane Dorian caused “vast devastation” and left 70,000 people in need of immediate humanitarian relief, says Mark Lowcock, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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The United States has experienced more than 200 confirmed tornadoes, as well as a devastating blizzard, damaging winds, rainfall and hail this year.
Today’s superstorms need an organized response – and that is what UMCOR is doing.
UMCOR’s board of directors recently authorized the distribution of $20,236,883 in funds for U.S. disaster response, touching 10 states from Iowa to Florida, Nebraska to Alabama, as well as Puerto Rico.
Funding is provided by thousands of donors like you, each giving as they can. Your support is needed to ensure UMCOR continues its organized response.
Please help our neighbors today!
CURRENT DISASTER RESPONSE
UMCOR and our partners are responding to disasters both in the United States and around the world. Please join us in prayer for the areas affected and consider a gift to UMCOR Disaster Response. As we assess the impact of these storms, we will provide timely updates as we receive information. We will also share additional ways in which you can provide assistance.
Wildfires in California
As thousands flee wildfires in California, UMCOR is in close conversation with the disaster response coordinators of the California-Pacific and California-Nevada Conferences of The United Methodist Church.
UMCOR is already actively engaged in California in response to previous wildfires and we anticipate supporting both conferences as they identify and respond to the needs of the populations affected by the current wildfires.
We pray for the safety of the firefighters and first responders as well as those evacuating their homes. UMCOR stands ready to support the response of the conferences with relief kits, Early Response Teams, and funding.
Hurricane Michael on the Gulf Coast
We are proud to say that because of UMCOR’s investment in disaster response training, our partners are better prepared to reduce risk and respond effectively to the needs of survivors.
UMCOR partners have begun their local response in the Alabama-West Florida, South Georgia and Florida Conferences. Other neighboring conferences have provided assistance, and all were well prepared to respond quickly using UMCOR response training and the UMCOR supply network.
Affected Conferences are not yet ready to receive out-of-conference volunteers. We remind those wishing to provide assistance to please not self-deploy or donate unsolicited items. Many areas are still engaged in emergency response efforts.
Alabama-West Florida
Before Hurricane Michael made landfall, Conference Disaster Response Coordinators were in touch with local leaders and secured a 35,000ft2 warehouse in Marianna, FL with necessary equipment to expeditiously stock and distribute relief supplies.
Moreover, the Conference was awarded a $10,000 solidarity grant which partners are using to support evacuees and survivors in the impact zone. Assessments are underway and continue to expand as more residential areas open to response teams. Many church structures have been damaged or destroyed. Partners continue to receive relief supplies from UMCOR warehouses.
For more information please visit, hurricanemichaelrecovery.org, or call 888-942-4477 (please note this line should be used for information relating to the Alabama-West Florida Conference only).
South Georgia
In South Georgia assessments are underway and partners have deployed a shower trailer, clean-up supplies and water. Early Response Teams are mobilizing, including teams from both South Georgia and North Georgia Conferences. Local churches and partners are assembling additional cleaning kits for immediate use.
For more information, please visit https://www.sgaumc.org/newsdetail/assessing-hurricane-michael-damage-12238766.
Florida
The Florida Conference was awarded a $10,000 Solidarity Grant to deliver relief supplies to affected areas. Early Response Teams are responding and assessing damage.
For information please visit https://www.flumc.org or call 855-228-3862.
Hurricane Florence
Local partners and volunteers have responded to the needs of those affected by Hurricane Florence in unprecedented ways. ERTs are active in both the South Carolina and North Carolina Conferences. Partners have delivered supplies and kits throughout the region and local churches continue to assist with damage assessments and relief efforts.
We are asking that those wishing to assist please do not self-deploy or donate unsolicited items. Affected conferences are managing their responses locally and will make requests for materials and response teams as they continue their assessments.
In North Carolina and South Carolina, long-term recovery volunteer teams are still needed in response to previous disasters, providing opportunities for those wishing to assist immediately while the Conferences continue to assess the specific needs from Hurricane Florence.
If you would like to volunteer, contact the North Carolina Disaster Call Center at 888-440-9167, disasterresponse@nccumc.org or through the North Carolina Conference webpage.
If you would like to volunteer, contact the South Carolina Call Center at 803-726-3105, screcovery@umcsc.org or through the South Carolina Conference webpage.
UMCOR Across the U.S.
UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response teams are hard at work not only in the Carolinas and Gulf Coast, but across the country. Often, our partners work in places affected by disasters that do not receive substantial media attention. Explore the many places UMCOR partners are currently assisting in disaster response on the map below.
UMCOR Around the World
Earthquakes and Tsunami in Indonesia
UMCOR is fortunate to consistently work with many partners in Indonesia. We are currently coordinating with partners on the ground to address immediate needs of vulnerable people affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. We have been in contact with Methodist Church leadership to support assessment, initial relief work and further evaluation and prioritization of needs as we reach recovery phases.
Typhoon Mangkhut
Since 2017, UMCOR has trained and funded Disaster Management teams in order to empower communities to proactively alleviate suffering caused by the effects of disasters. Their work allows for communities’ advance awareness and preparedness, aligning with the efforts of other conference teams and ecumenical councils from across the region.
At a national level, this initiative ensures that the maximum number of people are prepared for a storm’s impact. Moreover, the Manilla, Davao and Baguio Episcopal Area offices continue to distribute daily weather advisories to community leaders.
UMCOR IDR has authorized a 10,000 USD Solidarity grant to address immediate needs in the most hard hit provinces of Baguio while the Disaster Management Coordinators in the Philippines continue to work with their communities after Typhoon Mangkhut and maintain their assessment of damages and analysis of needs.
