Flood and Hurricane Responses

To address needs in WPAUMC, over 1,500 cleaning kits, aka flood buckets, have been distributed.  Hygiene kits have also been sent out to areas hard hit by recent storms. That has left the Eastbrook Mission Barn (a satellite facility for UMCOR) with a low supply of both cleaning kits and hygiene kits. If you would like to assemble either kit, the “recipes” can be found on the information table in the back of the sanctuary or email, and Martha will email the necessary information. SUMC will also accept donations to be forwarded to Eastbrook Mission Barn to assist in the purchase of kit materials. Early Response Team Leaders were also put on alert in order to respond to the immediate needs and long term recovery efforts. Elsewhere in the USA, UMCOR has issued grants for early response needs to Annual Conferences that experienced severe weather losses. As early assessments are done and long term plans are formulated, further grants will be issued. Those grants are made possible by donations to UMCOR. You may give to UMCOR by including your additional gift with your regular offering, marking “UMCOR”, by using EasyTithe via the web or the EasyTithe app (again indicate UMCOR), or by visiting umcor.org.

Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria a Year Later

UMCOR issued an update on its relief/reconstruction efforts in Puerto Rico. To date, $7.6 million dollars of grants have been issued, with $21 million dollars available for Puerto Rico recovery efforts. 39,000 individuals were assisted in the early response efforts. Since teams have been accepted from mainland USA, 68 teams consisting of 515 volunteers have given nearly 23,000 hours of their time. UMCOR will continue its efforts in Puerto Rico. If you have an interest in volunteering with a team going there from WPAUMC, further information can be found here.

UMCOR is generally one of the first agencies to respond to disasters in the USA and around the world, and it is generally one of the last ones to leave a recovering area. Again, that work is only possible through our generous giving to UMCOR. Interested in the other work of UMCOR? Visit their website. Updates on most recent disaster responses can be found in their August news.