Disaster Response: After Hurricane Matthew North Georgia Teams Needed

10/21/2016

Updated November 1

There are a staggering number of Disaster Response and mission team needs between the recent Hurricane Matthew impact and all the disasters of the last year. Because we in North Georgia are uniquely positioned and mostly unaffected by the disasters, we can make big a difference in our neighbor's recovery -- particularly in the 6 weeks to 6 months. Please consider giving, going, and praying.

If your team is deployed, please share your plans with the North Georgia Conference by emailing scott.parrish@ngumc.net.

Need is Great for Teams in South Carolina

"Orangeburg, Bamburg, Kingstree and Manning ... Marion, Mullins, Nichols and Charleston"
These are just a few of the South Carolina towns in need of mission teams.

Bishop Jonathan Holston and the South Carolina Conference need our help. South Carolina has an urgent and immediate need for teams. A trained ERT team leader is all that's required. It would be helpful, but not mandatory, for other team members to have a background check. The South Carolina Conference will coordinate housing and food, but self sufficient teams are also needed and welcome.

Teams can contact the disaster response team coordinator, Chuck Marshall, directly at 803-386-7217.

ERTs Needed in North Carolina

The North Carolina Conference is in need of and ready for Early Response Teams (ERT) for clean up after Hurricane Matthew. "It is overwhelming with the amount of effort it is going to take to provide relief to these communities. We will need assistance from as many conferences within SEJ as possible to help us recover from this storm," they shared.

Interested ERT teams can reach out to our Disaster Response Committee for specific priority locations, needs, and scheduling at disasterresponse@nccumc.org or call 1-888-440-9167.

ERT and Chainsaw Teams Needed in South Georgia

In the South Georgia Conference, the ?greatest need right now is for trained Chainsaw Teams. There are work orders in right now numbering in the 100s, mostly in the Savannah area. There is also a need for ERT teams for mucking out 4-5 houses. Contact Disaster Response Coordinator Luis Morales to schedule your team at morhilll@gmail.com.

ERT Training

ERT training will be led by Rev. Thom Shores at Bethlehem UMC in Bremen on November 19. Register at https://roca_ert_11-19-2016.eventbrite.com

More Ways to Help

North Georgia Conference Disaster Response has been in communication with FEMA, UMCOR, and United Methodist Annual Conferences. There are several ways we can help.

Give. As always, 100 percent of our gifts to UMCOR go to those in need. Give through your local church by clearly marking checks for UMCOR Disaster Response. The NGUMC fund numbers are Fund #4390 for UMCOR US Disaster Response or Fund # 8430 for UMCOR International Disaster Response.
Assemble UMCOR Health Kits. Thanks to the generosity of many, there are adequate Cleaning Buckets (flood buckets) that can be mobilized immediately. There is need for Health Kits. Find assembly instructions at http://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies.
Do not self deploy. A strength of our connection is that we can cooperate and respond based on need and information from local authorities and organizations. Please do not go to a disaster site until we are asked to send trained ERTs or mission teams.

Check ngumc.org in the coming days, weeks and months for updates on how we in North Georgia can respond.

Disaster Response Deployment Procedures

Disaster Response Teams working through The United Methodist Church are known for being the first to arrive and last to leave in times of disaster. By coordinating with local and national response organizations and following established protocols, the United Methodist connection is effective and useful. Here is the deployment procedure for ERTs (Early Response Teams):

ERTs from within the affected Conference are deployed first (if available).
When additional ERTs are needed from outside that Conference they will request assistance from the Conferences in their Jurisdiction. (Contiguous conferences first and then outward.)
Should additional teams become necessary from outside the affected Jurisdiction then notification will come from the Jurisdictional UMVIM coordinators (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission).