A woman walks in the midst of rubble left by the tsunami that struck Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004. Credit: Paul Jeffrey / ACT.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is involved in emergency response globally. The immediate goal of UMCOR's international and domestic emergency response programs is to provide relief and rehabilitation for the entire person-- physical, social, and psychological-- in a distress situation. Both within and outside the United States, UMCOR works to enable those affected by disasters to take responsibility for relief and recovery work. Wherever possible, UMCOR forms partnerships with other religious and secular organizations in order to pool resources and avoid duplicating efforts.
UMCOR provides long-term recovery as well as immediate relief. Recognizing that disasters cause disruptions that can last for years and often create permanent changes in people's lives, UMCOR works within a community to address the long-term effects of a disaster and assist people in rebuilding and adjusting to change.
UMCOR maintains a corps of trained disaster response specialists for quick reinforcement of national efforts and a supply of relief materials in warehouses for dispatch when and where required. It also trains disaster response specialists in their own countries as part of a global ministry by a global church and works in partnership with other international agencies. More. . .
A woman walks in the midst of rubble left by the tsunami that struck Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004. Credit: Paul Jeffrey / ACT.
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If you would like to volunteer call the Volunteer Hotline at 1-800-918-3100. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. Be sure to specify the name and Advance number of the project on the memo line of your check.
Current Emergencies: News and Background about UMCOR's Work Around the World.
About UMCOR
How You Can Help Disaster Survivors Through UMCOR.
Responding to Survivors of Disasters Big and Small.
The Role of Volunteers in Disaster Response by Donald and Barbara Weaver, an article with photos from New World Outlook magazine.
UMCOR. In Disaster Response, Multiplying Hope in Ways That Might Surprise You. Print-friendly bulletin insert/brochure about UMCOR Disaster response.
UMCOR Sager Brown, material resources, including emergency kits
UMCOR and Emergency Response in-depth information | Graphics Version | Plain Text Version |
What Every Annual Conference Should Know, UMCOR's Response to Disaster in the United States
UMCOR maintains a corps of trained disaster response specialists for quick reinforcement of local efforts, and it keeps a supply of relief materials in warehouses for dispatch when and where required.
When a disaster strikes, United Methodists start asking what they can do to help. UMCOR responds by using its experience to show local churches and annual conferences how they can get involved in the most constructive way and by reinforcing local relief efforts with resources provided by the whole church.
In the case of disasters in the United States, such as the storm devastation inflicted by Hurricanes Mitch and Floyd, local church members characteristically go into action immediately. They offer food, water, shelter, and other necessities to victims, while also conveying the pastoral concern that is often an unseen but urgent need.
In undertaking disaster response ministries, you and other United Methodists in your local area have a national resource in UMCOR. Before a disaster occurs, UMCOR offers training to prepare disaster response coordinators in your annual conference. Afterward, when invited by churches in the disaster area, it provides relief for immediate needs and long-term rehabilitation.
In the case of disasters outside the United States, UMCOR serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance. It also trains disaster response specialists in their own countries as part of a global ministry by a global church, and it works in partnership with other international agencies.
Disasters may be caused by upheavals of nature, such as the earthquakes in Turkey or by inhuman actions of human beings, such as the brutalities in Kosovo. Disaster may come as slowly famine in Southern Africa or as suddenly as the devastation of the volcano in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Although most people may hear of nothing but the few most dramatic disasters, UMCOR in recent years has responded to new ones at the rate of more than two a week.
Whatever the cause of the disaster, UMCOR moves in concrete ways to ease human suffering and do whatever may be possible to restore normal life. In Bangladesh, UMCOR has built structures that serve both as shelters from the cyclones that come almost every year and as schools or community centers when it is not cyclone season. Responding to the violence and disruption of Eastern Europe, UMCOR has rebuilt housing and other requirements of community life in areas of the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union.
Special emphasis is given to the emotional needs of disaster victims, who may lose their confidence and their ability to meet the new demands forced upon them when they are traumatized by the loss of family members, homes, and jobs. Recently, UMCOR has added a special program to bring pastoral care to children involved in disasters.
See also: UMCOR and Emergency Response (in-depth information)
Action by Churches Together (ACT)
AlertNet - humanitarian aid and disaster news
Disaster News Network
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
InterAction
International Donor's Dialogue
International Service Agencies (ISA)
NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, Collaboration in Disaster Response
ReliefWeb (United Nations)
Society of St. Andrew