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How to help                 Do's and Don'ts Disaster Response Stories

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When a Disaster Happens
How to help   •  Do's and Don'ts
Volunteer Work Trips
 How to organize a work team
What to expect

Team members pose with homeowners after helping to repair their home after a flood caused by Hurricane Floyd in Princeville, North Carolina in 1999.

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United Church of Christ
Disaster Response
                  
Some Do's and Don'ts of Disaster Response
   
DO’S 
  • Do reach out.  Don’t assume others are doing everything.
  • Familiarize yourself with the affected area and families. 
  • Be especially alert to the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.  It is not uncommon for less-than-honest contractors to suddenly show up with promises of quick repairs. This is a rip-off.
  • Contact your local American Red Cross (ARC), Salvation Army, and other local churches; and if no one is already doing it, organize a team to distribute coffee, soft drinks, donuts, and sandwiches for the cleanup workers and victims.  Large group dinners are good too.  Be especially alert for signs of trauma.
  • Register with your local ARC and county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) office (see below) to have them contact you for any unmet needs. 
  • Contact other local churches to consider holding a community service this Sunday, or as soon as practical.  Somebody will need to publicize this.
  • Trusting that these events further affirm the value of a disaster response ministry, if your church does not have a disaster coordinator then this is a good time to fix that.  Identify a person(s) and have them contact Jim Ditzler or any of the Disaster Response Team Managers.  Click here for names and contact information, or check your Conference directory.
  • Please communicate with Jim Ditzler (330-262-3242 or jditzler@sssnet.com) any unique programs or needs you discover.  We can make blankets, cleaning supplies, and personal care items available on short notice.  Some funds are also available where needed.  We are your church, and we do have various resources.  

DON’TS

  • Don’t assemble a work team to do cleanup unless you have been invited, know the people, or are directed by another agency.  Large numbers of well-intentioned people who simply show up cause great problems.
  • Don’t start collecting anything unless the need for those items has been publicized.  If you are tempted, call the ARC or EMA office.  Unwanted donations just add to the disaster.
  • The large number of downed trees and limbs tempts many to get out their chain saw and go help. Unless you are professional or close to it, you must have the permission of a homeowner and, even with it, you have serious liability risks.  Don’t just rush out to help remove tree damage.
  • For many storm victims, it is going to take a long time for recovery to happen.  Even after the physical damage has been repaired, emotional scars remain.  Don’t forget them.
How to Help - Other Suggestions

 

*  Please pray for all those affected by the flood conditions.

*  Cleaning kits are almost always needed and always very appreciated.  We need to maintain an inventory of kits so they are available on short notice to be delivered to people who need them.  Click here for the current recipe and help restock our supply.

*  Volunteers are needed in the days immediately after a disaster and for months - sometimes years - afterward.  Needs vary with the type of disaster and with each stage of disaster response. 

  • The emergency stage (days or weeks following the disaster) involves meeting urgent needs such as helping to establish emergency shelters or feeding stations.  
  • The relief phase includes clean up and temporary repairs. This phase can last from one to several months; longer when flooding is involved. 
  • The recovery stage deals with permanent repairs and rebuilding. This stage can last from several months to several years. In this phase the biggest need is for skilled teams.

To find out what help is needed, e-mail Jim Ditzler or another member of the Disaster Response Team in the area of the disaster.  

For some hints about how to organize a volunteer work team, click here.

* There are just too many situations where money is the only answer. When appliances, household goods, and other personal items are lost, funds to purchase replacements are the only practical response.  

If you would like to offer a a donation, please send checks made out to Ohio Conference UCC-Disaster Relief and send via your Association.  Monies will be used through shared participation in local ecumenical recovery committees when and where appropriate need is identified.

 

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Ohio Conference UCC, 6161 Busch Blvd., Suite 95, Columbus OH 43229  •  800-282-0740
•  614-885-0722  •   ohioucc@ocucc.org