United Methodists Making a Difference as Communities Recover from January Storms

Updated February 9
 
United Methodists are making a difference as communities across our Conference recover from January 12 storms. As many as 10 confirmed tornadoes impacted Georgia as devastating storms moved across the southeast this month. There are hundreds of homes damaged in our Annual Conference across Troup, Meriwether, Dekalb, Spalding, Warren, Butts, Jasper, and Henry counties.

Our Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Rev. Scott Parrish is in steady conversation with our trained ERT (Early Response Teams), UMCOR, our disaster response partners, and our neighboring Annual Conferences. 

Less than 24 hours after the storm, Bishop Robin Dease requested a solidarity grant from UMCOR. By that evening, the grant had been awarded. The funds will go toward North Georgia's response to the storms. 

The day after tornadoes touched down in Spading County, Griffin First UMC opened as a Red Cross shelter. The church's trained ERT deployed the morning after the storm assisting with tornado impact needs. Additionally, the church opened to host outside ERTs overnight. 

"I’m grateful for Griffin First's preparations and training," said Parrish. "The church able to respond well immediately."

"We cleared trees providing much-needed access to homes and making properties safe for families," said Mark Brown of Northside UMC in Atlanta. "The devastation is more than you might gather from the local news."

ERT from Alpharetta First UMC, Northside UMC, Canton First UMC, St James UMC Atlanta, Carrollton First UMC, Hillside UMC, New Hope UMC Gainesville, Newnan First UMC, Mount Pisgah UMC, Zoar UMC, Midway UMC, Mountville UMC, Northbrook UMC, Griffin UMC, Cannon UMC, Dahlonega UMC, Due West UMC, Peachtree City UMC, Roswell UMC, Oak Grove UMC, Hiawassee UMC, and Blairsville First UMC have responded in North Georgia communities. (Please email communications@ngumc.org if ERT from your church have responded so we can celebrate their work!) 

South Georgia Conference disaster response came to our assistance in Meriwether County and sent their shower trailer to a newly established Red Cross shelter in Locust Grove.

Steven Redmond, Disaster Response Warehouse Manager, delivered UMCOR cleaning buckets and hygiene kits assembled by NGUMC congregations to Meriwether County. 

Northside UMC's Allen Hill and Steve Barton volunteered to retrieve our conference shower trailer from Port Charlotte, near Fort Myers, Florida, and reposition it at the Hanlieter Campus of Griffin First UMC.

Knowing that recovery in the area will be long-term, Hanlieter can now host ERT on its campus.

"This is God’s church at its best," said Rev. Debby Stikes who serves as pastor at Hanlieter. "When you take the Griffin First ERT and put it with the church Missions Committee, the UWF, UMM, Boy Scouts, a Sunday School class, and North Georgia Conference Disaster Response, you get two bunk rooms for ERTs who come and work in the Griffin/Spalding County area where recent tornadoes caused great damage. After securing the shower trailer so teams would be able to shower after work, these groups from Griffin First United Methodist Church got together and had beds donated, bunks built, mattresses donated, linens and pillows purchased, and a cleaning crew to deep clean the rooms so that these bunk rooms would come to life."

"Additional volunteers are supplying hot meals and food gift cards for the workers, paper products, and other necessary items for the beginning of a new ministry!  It’s exciting and it is very busy around here," Stikes continued. 

In Locust Grove, "an amazing collaboration of religious, civic, and private industry are doing great work," shared Rev. Gil McGinnis, pastor of Locust Grove UMC. "The community has rallied around the trailer park that was hit the hardest. Our food pantry made new contacts with people.“

In Troup County, LaGrange College students, alumni, and Chaplain Adam Roberts participated in a work day in a neighborhood where 20 homes were severely damaged and several are total losses.

Jackson UMC hosted a team of 27 ERT working in Butts County this week. The team was made up from volunteers from 12 churches! 

A member of McDonough First UMC has taken on the important administrative work of receiving and processing requests for assistance in Henry County and then sharing confirmed information with community partners and churches. 

"Almost a month after the impact, ERT are assisting with residential requests for help," said Parrish. "There are still 360 requests in CrisisCleanup, the online dashboard connecting disaster impacts with volunteer organizations, so we continue to need many teams responding. We’re also in conversations with the range of partners required to assist with long term recovery, so there will be ongoing mission needs for the next 2-3 years."

Many more United Methodist congregations are serving their neighbors in this widespread recovery effort. We are grateful to every congregation serving in this time of great need!

"We continue looking for unmet needs and possibilities with long-term recovery ministry," said Parrish. "This will take our connectional network as we join together in the healing of multiple communities after the destructive January 12 tornadoes."

HOW TO HELP
Tor those outside the impacted communities, the best way to offer support is through prayer, preparation, and giving.

• Pray for local officials & responders as they reclaim control out of chaos
• Pray for communities in recovery
• Give to UMCOR (U.S. Disaster Response #901670) or North Georgia Conference Disaster Response (#3740) through any United Methodist Church in our Conference
• ERTs should contact Rev. Scott Parrish with their availability and equipment so that we can best deploy teams as they're requested