These leaders were among those meeting in Detroit on Dec. 15 to develop the Northwest Detroit Flood Recovery Project. (L-r) Rev. Don Gotham, DAC Board of Global Ministries chair; Christy Smith UMCOR staff; Rev. Becky Wilson, Detroit Renaissance District staff and new Director of Flood Recovery; Greg Forrester, UMCOR National Disaster Coordinator; and Rev, Paul Perez, Detroit Conference Staff Director of Justice and Mission Engagement. ~photo courtesy of Rev. Melanie Carey
KAY DeMOSS
Senior Editor-Writer, Michigan Area
DETROIT MIC – It’s been five months since record rainfall on August 11 put three-counties in southeastern Michigan underwater. Within hours the Governor had issued a state of emergency and the United Methodist Committee on Relief sent 500 cleaning buckets to Detroit Metropolitan UMC for distribution across the stricken area. In September the President declared a national disaster. Recovery and clean-up moved forward as the story moved off the front page. Then last month UMCOR returned to Metropolitan UMC because … the job was not over.
Volunteers working in homes across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties continued to find water-filled basements and furnaces that failed to turn on because of flood-related damage in summer undetected until temps turned cold. Seventeen churches in the Renaissance District were still engaged in repair and restoration. So it was that UMCOR staffers, Greg Forrester and Christy Smith, leaders from the Detroit Renaissance District, Detroit Conference and West Michigan Conference came together on December 15. They heard reports and considered details about the venture being called the Northwest Detroit Flood Recovery Project. Announcement was made at the meeting that UMCOR has approved a bridge grant request to support the project in the amount of $100,000. In March a second request will be made for funds to support what is expected to be a two-year effort. The bridge grant will enable the Renaissance District, under the leadership of the Rev. Becky Wilson, to provide intensive disaster case management for 50 households in the northwest part of the city. Funds will be used to support the salary of the Project Coordinator (Wilson), hire persons to canvas neighborhoods, and provide direct assistance such as building supplies and furnaces.
Wilson is now in the office laying groundwork and hiring case managers. It is anticipated that needs assessment will continue through the next five weeks. Volunteers will likely not be needed before mid-February. Eventual clean-up and rebuild efforts will engage helpers from across the Area and Jurisdiction.
Becky will remain in regular conversation with UMCOR as efforts progress. Ongoing communication will ensure project flexibility, enabling course corrections that will best address found needs. “Individuals, churches, district offices, the Bishop and UMCOR are all at the table sharing about and caring for their piece of the project,” she notes.
Becky is especially excited that the bridge grant will not only assist the Renaissance District but will encourage an outward focus. “People who came together to fix water in their basements are now concerned about the water in their neighbors’ basements.”
The Rev. Paul Perez, Detroit Conference Director for Mission and Justice Engagement and Leadership Recruitment, also rejoices in the partnership. “This represents the ‘connection’ at its best,” he says. “Combining the expertise and financial resources of UMCOR with on-the-ground grass roots leadership in the City of Detroit will allow the United Methodist Church to be in meaningful mission.”
It has been said that when disaster strikes, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is first to arrive and last to leave. That kind of staying power is made possible by cooperation with those on the scene. While the August flooding in Detroit is “yesterday’s news,” the needs of those touched by the storm remain on the hearts and in the hands of United Methodists who care. “This is an amazing opportunity to connect church and community in powerful ways,” Wilson concludes. “I did not have to think twice to be part of it.”
Last Updated on February 2, 2024