US Disaster Response News & Stories

In response to the current pandemic, UMCOR has launched virtual self-care trainings for U.S. disaster case managers.

United Methodists are long-time supporters of Children Disaster Services, a critical coordinating agency of the Church of the Brethren. With UMCOR grants and prayers and many volunteer hours, United Methodists help to care for the youngest family members when disasters strike.

Mellie Thomas, Disaster Recovery Project Manager of the Mississippi Annual Conference, talks about changes in disaster response due to the coronavirus.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.