The Michigan Conference is requesting support for After the Storm and Midwest Mission in response to recent ice storms in parts of Michigan.
On March 30, 2025, the northern 13 counties of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan were significantly impacted by ice storms, leading to widespread outages, some lasting for over a week, as well as significant damage to homes and properties.
The Michigan Conference will receive an UMCOR solidarity grant of $10,000 to aid our response to recent ice storms in Michigan, working with After the Storm to coordinate our response. After the Storm is the Michigan Conference’s long-term disaster recovery nonprofit. UMCOR has not deployed Early Response Teams at this time.
After the Storm helps identify, prioritize, and work with survivors of disasters to address their long-term recovery needs. The situation is evolving, and damage assessments are incomplete at this time. Right now, the needs are food and gas for volunteers working to restore power and clear roads. Most main roads are clear, but many secondary roads are still impassable. Once individual home damage has been assessed, there will be a need for support for those who are uninsured or underinsured.
The Michigan Conference is asking Michigan United Methodists to financially support After the Storm directly. Financial gifts can be designed for the March 2025 ice storm recovery. Your generosity will impact the lives of those affected, offering hope and assistance as they work to rebuild their lives and communities.
How to give financially? Click this secure link or the button below to donate online, or mail a check made payable to “After the Storm” to After the Storm, PO Box 1189, Midland, MI 48640.
Congregations can also give to After the Storm through the EngageMI program of the Michigan Conference (CCMM#3064). Visit this web page to learn how to become an EngageMI congregation.
Another way to support our collective efforts in this storm response is by donating financially to Midwest Mission, our long-time mission partner that sends disaster-related relief kits to impacted areas here in the United States and around the world, or by assembling disaster kits and bringing them to the 2025 Michigan Annual Conference next month.
How to give financially? Click this secure link or the button below to give online.
The Michigan Conference has requested Feminine Hygiene Kits and Personal Dignity Kits to aid in the response. Midwest Mission is scheduled to deliver these kits to Otsego United Way for distribution later this week.
How to tangibly support their work? To help replenish Midwest Mission’s supply of kits, churches can assemble Personal Dignity Kits and Feminine Hygiene Kits. Midwest Mission will be on-site at Annual Conference, and all donated kits can be left at the collection truck on Friday, May 30. The truck will leave Saturday morning. Click to download instructions on assembling the various kits.
This article was last updated on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Last Updated on April 15, 2025