News & Stories / U.S. Disaster Response

News & Stories

U.S. Disaster Response

Explore how your gifts and our global partnerships connect local churches and communities in mission to alleviate human suffering around the world.

Clean-up and assessment after Hurricane Helene enters new phases of disaster recovery. Three conferences receive grants to prepare for long-term programs.

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The UMCOR-supported solar disaster response trailer powered lights, freezers and refrigerators at Camp Tygart for ERTs clearing debris near Valdosta, Georgia.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with all affected conferences as communities begin to assess their needs. So far, grants have been awarded to the North and South Georgia, Western North Carolina and Holston conferences.
From initial relief to long-term recovery, learn how UMCOR connects survivors to the help they need to rebuild their lives.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) continues to meet the needs of vulnerable populations around the world through a strong network of partners.
Hear from conference disaster response coordinators on what their partnership with UMCOR means to them.
UMCOR encourages recipients of wildfire grants to seek partners in their work, which are vital for extending recovery ministries to more people and places.
In places like hard-hit Florida, UMCOR faithfully assists thousands of U.S. residents displaced by severe weather.
Funding from “Where Most Needed” gives UMCOR the flexibility to reach people experiencing all kinds of disasters anywhere in the world.
UMCOR responds with a grant for emergency supplies as well as coordination of the deployment of early response teams and solar-powered trailers.
Thanks to generous giving and offerings collected throughout the UMC, UMCOR will continue to support recovery efforts in Maui after the wildfires.

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Have questions? Send us an inquiry and we’ll get back to you promptly. Please direct all media inquiries to Susan Clark, chief communications officer for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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Susan Clark, Chief Communications Officer
media@umcmission.org
800-862-4246

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Six Years, No Solution: A 500-Gallon Tank Carries Hope to West Virginia’s Forgotten

McDowell County is one of the poorest in the U.S., and the communities of Anawalt, Leckie and Gary are some of the hardest hit by the current six-year water crisis. All have Methodist churches that are part of the Welch Charge.

To ease the burden of residents who have to purchase many gallons of drinking water weekly, the Welch Charge contacted the West Virginia Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Jim McCune, for help. McCune’s United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) connection put him in touch with Global Ministries’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. 

A WASH grant allowed them to obtain a 500-gallon “water buffalo.” The conference disaster response team arranged to fill the portable water buffalo from the Welch water system, the county seat of McDowell, and transport it to Gary, where residents have been supplied with refillable containers. Residents of all three towns can come to get water, and volunteers will also continue deliveries for those who need it. Meanwhile, residents, including church members, continue to advocate state and local officials for a permanent solution to their aging, compromised water infrastructure. Full Story