How to Support Disaster Response 10-2-2024  (updated PDF for printing and sharing)

October 2, 2024

Hurricane Helene not only devasted coastal communities but also collided with another storm that had already left several inches of rain in the mountains, causing unprecedented flooding for communities in its path. Rescue and early federal response efforts are underway across North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama.

TWK Disaster Response personnel are in direct contact with the United Methodist Conferences affected by this storm. They are also working closely with the Tennessee state VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) to develop a response plan for Eastern Tennessee.

Many congregations in our United Methodist connection are impacted and UMCOR has already begun working with our sister conferences to coordinate funding and response teams. 

We know you want to help!  Here are ways you and your church can support the connection: 

PRAYER

Please continue to pray for our neighbors who are hurting due to the devastating storm, for the emergency responders, and for the ministry partners in all the impacted UMC conferences. 

UMCOR KITS

Churches can support our sisters and brothers by assembling UMCOR kits. Please store them at your church until after October 14, when you may bring them to one of the designated dropoff locations. We will either fulfill specific requests from other conferences for cleaning and hygiene kits or need to help replenish all the kits currently being shipped to affected areas out of our warehouses. 

FINANCIAL DONATIONS

Financial giving is critical. With financial donations, the local responders can purchase the most needed items or offer immediate assistance to survivors. 

You can support the TWK Response to the Hurricane Helene Disaster by giving to our conference disaster recovery fund. Checks can be made out and mailed to the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference at PO Box 440132, Nashville, TN 37244  (please note Disaster Response in the memo line)

These funds will go toward supporting immediate needs in the affected areas and funding our Emergency Response Teams (ERT), which will be deployed to the area in the weeks ahead.

TRAIN TO JOIN AN EARLY RESPONSE TEAM

The TWK Disaster Leadership team will schedule ERT training throughout the conference before the end of the year. We anticipate one in Ripley, TN, in Kirksey, KY, and in Murfreesboro, TN by the end of the year. Dates and registration links will be available soon.

Because of safety concerns, it is still too soon to deploy our teams. Current ERTs will be notified when invitations to other conferences are extended to us. We anticipate sending teams first to communities in the Holston Conference. 

Thank you for your continued support. Please contact us with any questions or specific aid you can offer at disasterresponse@twkumc.org.

Blessings,
TWK Disaster Response Team

September 26, 2024

Our conference disaster response team is in communication with our sister conferences in the path of Hurricane Helene, so we can be prepared to respond as needed. Please continue to pray for all those impacted by this storm.

There will be opportunities in the coming weeks for trained Early Response Teams to go in, but UMCOR asks that we wait for an invitation to volunteer. We know some of you without ERT training would like to offer hands-on help, but please do not self-deploy. Our team will coordinate trips when the affected areas are ready to receive more volunteers.

In the meantime, your financial support will be greatly appreciated.  Please give generously to UMCOR’s US Disaster Response. Also, please share this link with your friends and colleagues. Let them know that every dollar donated to this fund goes to US Disaster Response – none goes toward administrative costs.

Local churches can respond by assembling and storing relief kits (https://umcmission.org/relief-supplies). Donations to assist UMCOR in purchasing supplies for kits can be made through Advance 901440-Material Resources.

In the coming weeks, we will communicate kit drop-off locations and times. In the meantime, we will provide the relief kits we have on hand where directed by the UMCOR warehouses.

Thank you for your prayers and support!