Questions?
Robert “Bob” Miller
Disaster Response Coordinator
pastorbobmiller@comcast.net
734-453-5280
Dan OMalley
Disaster Response Coordinator
dano.omalley@gmail.com
616.915.6301
Jody Pratt
Volunteers in Mission Coordinator
prattgji09@gmail.com
616 292-4908
SOS! In case of emergency.
You've had a disaster. Now what? Click button at left.
Disaster Response Updates
Michigan is ready to respond
Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, famine; anything that disrupts people’s lives and places life at risk, calls us to be the compassionate hands and feet of Jesus Christ. The Michigan Disaster Response Team works year round to prepare, plan and equip teams so we can respond when disaster strikes.
Learn how you can help without hurting the response process and then see updates on response projects we are involved with.
Four ways you can help with disasters.
1. Pray
We are called to pray, organize prayer groups and chains and bathe those in need in prayers of peace, God’s abundant Grace, wholeness and safety for those affected and those there to help.2. Give
While our immediate compassionate instinct is to send food, clothing and household items in times of crisis, we recognize that often causes more harm than good. In the initial crisis phase, there is no more flexible, reliable and effective response than a financial gift to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, where 100% goes directly to aid. How is that possible? One reason, UMCOR Sunday.
3. Donate
Preparedness. We assemble thousands of flood clean-up buckets and personal hygiene kits during the year, so when disaster strikes, we are able to load them on trucks and get them to the right place in days. Working with other annual conferences, we keep centralized response kits ready to go.
4. Volunteer
Michigan coordinates with national, state and local agencies to bring wholeness to disaster zones. Disaster zones are dangerous so our volunteers arrive only after first responders have completed their rescue missions. At the invitation of the affected community our teams move in and often for years following the crisis. To accomplish this we must be trained and prepared. Click the button below to connect with Bob McCormick, our Early Response Team Coordinator.
Hurricane Michael
As of Oct. 11, 2018 United Methodists across the southeast are preparing to offer long-term relief after the most powerful hurricane in nearly 50 years slammed into the continental U.S.Michael has left a path of destruction across multiple states and at least four United Methodist conferences. Search-and-rescue teams are operating across the panhandle, communication is limited and it’s still not safe for church-trained early response teams to come on the scene. For now, the main things United Methodists can do to help is give money, prepare relief supply kits, and pray. Read full story.
Photo courtesy Lynn Haven UMC
Copper Country Floods
Overnight June 17, 2018 the Houghton-Hancock area in the Keweenaw Peninsula received between 8 and 11 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. The hilly terrain exacerbated the drainage process and caused extreme flash flooding. The comment most often heard about the Copper Country was, “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Around 600 homes were affected in some way. As of August 1 about half those homes still needed clean-up or structural repair. Efforts are currently underway to assess cases and mobilize volunteer help. United Methodists are encouraged to give through the Michigan Conference Disaster Response Fund. Make checks payable to the Detroit Conference Treasurer, memo Michigan Disaster Response Fund and mail to Michigan Conference Treasury, 1161 East Clark Road, Ste. 212, DeWitt, MI 48820.
Photo courtesy Pastor Scott Lindenberg
Hurricane Florence
UMCOR asks that those wishing to assist to please not self-deploy. Experienced Early Response Teams (ERTs) and Disaster Response Coordinators (DRCs) are in the area now. Michigan congregations can aid in that effort by contributing to disaster relief supply drive of hygiene and cleaning materials. Click here to learn what to collect, how to pack it and where to take it. Dollar donations for Hurricane Relief can be made using this code; Disaster Response, United States #901670
Photo courtesy UMCOR
Typhoon Mangkhut - Philippines
Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) has marched across Asia. CNN reports that millions are being evacuated in China. The worst hit is the Philippines, where at least 54 people were killed when the then Category 5 storm -- known locally as Ompong -- tore through northern Luzon causing flooding and landslides. Please join us in prayer for the areas affected and consider a gift to UMCOR International Disaster Response #982450. UMCOR continues to assess the impact of this storm and will share additional ways in which assistance can be provided.
Photo/UMCOR