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Disaster Preparedness and Response A Ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church. What is a Disaster?. A disaster is a specific event which results in overwhelming physical, economic and/or emotional damage Significant harm to people & property
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Disaster Preparedness and Response A Ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church
What is a Disaster? A disaster is a specific event which results in overwhelming physical, economic and/or emotional damage Significant harm to people & property Disrupts normal pattern of living Overwhelms a community’s ability to respond Can affect one person, a family, a community or a region
Our Calling Our mission is to be the transformation the world needs. Disaster Ministry allows us to live our faith in ways that can transform communities We can do this by building competent local strength Attracting, training and managing our volunteers Preparing our families, churches and communities to be better prepared for disaster By being true to our collective mission
United Methodist Disaster Ministry Disaster preparation and response begins with the local church District Disaster Coordinators Local Connections Conference Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee Programs UMCOR Programs/Training/Funding Community VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)
Conference Disaster Programs • Connecting Neighbors • Family and Church Preparedness • Community Involvement • Early Response Teams (ERT) • Active During Relief Phase • Disaster Spiritual Care (DSC) • Provide Spiritual Care During Response and Recovery Phases • Volunteers in Mission Teams (UMVIM) • Work Teams to Help Recovery
Connecting Neighbors • Inspiring members, churches and communities to be: • Better able to minimize disaster-caused harm to people and property • Respond to our neighbors in helpful, cooperative and caring ways on behalf of the church and in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Connecting Neighbors • Module 1: Ready Congregants focuses on preparing individuals and families to be disaster-ready. • Module 2: Ready Churches emphasizes the importance of protecting church property and the people within the property, before and immediately following a disaster, and of appropriate use of church property in disaster response. • Module 3: Ready Response encourages churches to explore their capacity for various disaster response ministries and to consider ways to engage community partners.
ERT Program • Provide the caring presence of the church • Help prevent further damage by: • Tarp roofs and other openings in homes • Remove debris • Clean out flooded homes- always with permission! • Help with donations management • Help gather information
ERT Teams • 7 People on Team • Each Person Works • Roles: • Team Leader • Assistant Team Leader • Logistics • Base Camp manager • Equipment manager • Safety Officer • Listener/Team Recorder
ERTProgram Direction • Establish teams across conference • Recruit team members, ensuring backup capability • Provide training for each team • Teams will deploy quarterly on projects • Badges and T-Shirts will be issued at end of training • Each team will be equipped with trailer/tools/equipment
UMCOR Disaster Spiritual Care Program • Program Principles: • Offer presence and hospitality to any persons affected by a disaster • Meet, accept, and respect persons exactly as they are • Do No Harm—Never evangelize, proselytize or exploit persons in vulnerable need • Work in Partnership with other DSC providers • Local spiritual care providers and communities of faith are the primary resources for post-disaster spiritual care
Disaster Spiritual Care Program • Adopt the COVOAD DSC Program • Conforms to NVOAD Guidelines and Points of Consensus • Provides Credentialing and Certification Recognized by Emergency Managers • Offers Training for DSC Providers • Provides DSC Services in a Variety of Settings
Your Calling Our mission is to be the transformation the world needs. Disaster Ministry allows us to live our faith in ways that can transform communities How you/your church can be involved: Prayer & Donations Schedule Connecting Neighbors training Consider becoming a member of an ERT team Build UMCOR Kits Participate on an UMVIM Teams
Disaster Preparedness and Response A Ministry of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church