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News & Stories / U.S. Disaster Response / Page 5

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.

UMCOR offers hope on the long road to Helene recovery

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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UMCOR donates needed supplies to first responders in Louisiana

More than 80,000 masks in sealed and unopened cartons purchased for future use are being distributed to first responders serving communities near UMCOR Sager Brown Depot.

UMCOR distributes school kits to Native communities

Watch as school supplies are distributed to Mark Twain Elementary School in Oklahoma.

Relationships support disaster response in Texas

Even though Hurricane Harvey hit Texas over two years ago, there is still much work to do. Long-term recovery efforts are going strong thanks to the disaster response team in the Rio Texas Conference. Staff like Austin, Vicki and Nikki continue to be a reliable and compassionate presence in Harvey’s aftermath. To be most effective, they see the importance of building and strengthening relationships. Whether it is relationships with partner agencies, churches, community members, or even among the staff themselves, the Rio Texas Conference has seen great impact and progress in recovery by working together and supporting one other.

UMCOR names new executive director

The United Methodist Committee on Relief will enter its ninth decade led by Lara S. Martin who brings a strong background in international disaster response, public health and child welfare.

Remembering heroes of mission and ministry: Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb

On the 10th anniversary of their death, Thomas Kemper remembers the life, ministry and mission of two Global Ministries staff members who died in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

UMCOR provides home sanitation units for Alaska’s Yu’pik community as first residents relocate to Mertarvik

Mertarvik, Alaska, the relocation site for Newtok, a Yu’pik village that lost much of its land to rising sea levels and eroding coastline, receives its first residents in newly built houses, complete with UMCOR-funded PASS sanitation units in each home.

Puerto Rico recovers from 2017 hurricanes, aided by UMCOR, UMVIM

The month of September marks two years since Hurricane Maria brought widespread destruction to Puerto Rico. The recovery has progressed steadily, thanks largely to the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, and with the help of UMCOR training and funding and more than 200 Volunteer in Mission teams.

UMCOR support scales up Arkansas River flood recovery

Although it didn’t receive much national attention, the spring floods of the Arkansas River wiped out property and devastated some communities. UMCOR and the Arkansas Conference Disaster Response Team have just rolled out a new phase to help with recovery.

UMCOR disaster response through the lens of Hurricane Dorian

Throughout Hurricane Dorian’s movements, UMCOR coordinated with Conference Disaster Response Coordinators from United Methodist conferences along the Southeastern U.S. coast, monitoring their needs and likely responses.

Restoring homes and hearts in Florida

The story of the Smith family demonstrates how the Florida Conference, an UMCOR partner, helps hurricane survivors across the state with a comprehensive program of case management, reconstruction, and Christian presence.

Contact Information

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.

General Inquiries

info@umcmission.org

Media Inquiries

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

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 

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