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You can help in SE Michigan flooding

Flood relief in the form of Cleaning Kits

Relief efforts continue in Wayne and Washtenaw counties where flooding damaged hundreds of homes. You can help in three ways — donate funds, volunteer, and provide cleaning supplies.


KAY DEMOSS

Senior Content Editor

July 13, 2021 | LANSING — Catastrophic rainfall hit southeast Michigan for the third time in seven years starting June 25. In the days since major flooding according across Wayne and Washtenaw counties, affiliates of the United Methodist Committee on Relief — in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana have delivered 6,032 Cleaning Kits (Flood Buckets) to the area. That is estimated at $452,400 worth of supplies that have assisted in the mucking out of homes and churches.

Today, Dan O’Malley, Michigan Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, reports an increase in homeowners needing assistance since July 9. The Crisis Cleanup List from VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) now totals 3,080. “The majority of the damage is flooded basements,” O’Malley notes. 

Hosting volunteers doing flood relief
The Rev. Jill Hardt Zundel reports that Detroit Central United Methodist Church has been housing workers doing flood recovery in Detroit and Dearborn. Team Rubicon is an international disaster response nonprofit that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders. ~ Facebook photo

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

To date, MIVOAD members, of which The Michigan Conference is a part, have completed the mucking out of 724 homes and are working on 716 more impacted by the flooding. Samaritan’s Purse starts work in the Dearborn sector starting Saturday, July 17. Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical organization providing aid since 1970. They are accepting requests for the removal of personal property and furniture, flood cleanup, and sanitizing. The service is free to homeowners who have little or no insurance. Homeowners should call 313-407-4436. Volunteer must register: call 313-949-9077 or click here for further details. Volunteers may also sign-up through the United Way Daily Volunteer Registration website.

FUNDS NEEDED FOR RECOVERY AHEAD

On June 29, Bishop David Bard issued an appeal for prayers and monetary gifts to the Michigan Conference Disaster Response Fund. That need will be ongoing to support assistance over the long haul. To donate by check, please mail to Michigan Conference at 1161 East Clark Road, Suite 212, DeWitt, MI 48820. It is important to include this exact language in the memo: #4407 Michigan Area Disaster Response. Those wishing to donate online may do so here.

CLEANING SUPPLIES NEEDED

The Midwest Mission Distribution Center (MMDC) has provided a list of items most in need at this time. They are requesting these items rather than full kits for now. Find the list of items and what to do with them here.

MORE ON MMDC

The Midwest Mission Distribution Center has been operating since 2000. Their website states:  “MMDC has been showing God’s love in practical ways through the distribution of education, health, micro-business, and disaster relief supplies meeting basic human needs around the world and around the corner.”

Volunteers from around the country provide the energy to keep disaster response supplies moving through the Pawnee, IL facility to places as near as Detroit and as far as DR Congo. MMDC is one of the three UMCOR depots that has supplied Cleaning Kits requested by The Michigan Conference during the current disaster. There are nine cooperating depots in the UMCOR Supply Network. 

Dan O’Malley continues to monitor the situation as the Michigan Conference liaison in the VOAD partnership. Two items currently in process are declaration of federal disaster and the formation of a Long Term Recovery Group. Updates will be ongoing in future editions of MIconnect and in Michigan Conference social media. 

Last Updated on September 20, 2022

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The Michigan Conference