Sandy: Conferences to accept long-term recovery teams | By Jim Truitt
The majority of the long-term recovery work post-Superstorm Sandy in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference is in the small fishing village of Crisfield, Md. Here, 350-500 homes were flooded by the tidal surge in 2012. From the Western Jurisdiction, three Early Response Teams (ERTs) deployed to this village in December and January.
Crisfield is said to be the poorest town in the poorest county of Maryland. They were originally refused individual assistance by FEMA, but that decision was reversed on appeal.
The local disaster response coordinator is having difficulty in getting volunteers because of all the media attention focused on New Jersey and New York. The WJ ERTs were welcomed by the community and taken care of by volunteers at Asbury UMC. I admit to having a strong bias toward supporting this community. The Disaster Response Coordinator told me they are mucking* out homes and working on recovery.
George Abrams, our PNW Disaster Response Coordinator is in New Jersey as one of the Region 10 FEMA Volunteer Agency Liaisons. They have high praise for the NJ Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) and the efforts of the Rev. Derrick Doherty. They are well organized and efficient. The Greater New Jersey Conference Bishop John R. Schol has made this a high priority and has stated they need 10,000 volunteers to help with the recovery.
Below are the points of contact for Hurricane Sandy Relief. The Peninsula-Delaware Conference and Greater New Jersey Conference are currently accepting long-term recovery teams. The New York Annual Conference is only accepting teams led by an ERT-trained team leader at this time** (The PNW Annual Conference has over 100 ERT-trained volunteers. If you are thinking about taking a team to New York, we may be able to find an ERT willing to lead the team.).
The Peninsula-Delaware Conference
Pastor Rich Walton, Sr. – Disaster Response Coordinator
Greater New Jersey Conference
The Rev. Derrick Doherty
Middletown UMC
New York Annual Conference
The Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie
NYAC: Disaster Response
If I can be of any more assistance, please let me know.
*Removal of water-damaged property and materials from a home.
**You may want to check back later if you are interested in going to New York.
Jim Truitt serves as the UMVIM Disaster Response Coordinator for the PNWUMC.
Visit the PNW UMVIM Disaster Response on Facebook.
