As Hurricane Matthew approaches the South Carolina coast, we pray for the safety of everyone in the storm’s path. We urge people to take precautions and evacuate coastal areas as ordered by state officials.
We know that in these times, people, especially clergy, can feel the need to stay behind to help their congregations and communities. However, we urge you to take care of yourself and your family first, knowing that you can’t lead if you also are dealing with power outages, home damage or lack of water. If you are instructed to evacuate, please contact your district superintendent to let him or her know where you will be evacuating to and how to contact you. For a list of district disaster coordinators visit: https://www.umcsc.org/home/ministries/disaster-response/
Please make arrangements to check on members of your congregation – particularly the elderly and homebound – before and after the storm. Try to help those who need to evacuate, but who might have trouble doing so. Emergency shelters can be found at http://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery/find-an-open-shelter
Gather important documents and make sure they are secure. Make copies and bring them with you if you evacuate. Secure outside items that might float or blow away.
It’s also important to remember some key elements of our disaster response plan. The best way to help before and immediately after the storm is to give financially. You can give to support the S.C. Conference disaster response here.
https://www.umcsc.org/data/disasterresponseflood2015.php
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, only emergency personnel will be allowed in many of the affected areas. Please do not try to respond yourself until state and local officials indicate that it is safe to do so. Rushing in can put you in harm’s way and endanger first responders, as well.
Our Early Response Teams have special credentials that allow them to enter affected areas before the general public has access. These teams work in coordination with county Emergency Management officials and local disaster response groups. They will be activated as soon as it is necessary and safe to do so.
Once you are able to assess damage at your church and home and in your community, let your district superintendent and district disaster response coordinator know of any issues. You can help be disaster response team’s eyes and ears in the community, helping us to help others.
We can send ERTs to help with tarping roofs, mucking out buildings and homes, clearing debris and removing fallen trees.
We have more than 200 Early Response Team members on standby, waiting to see how and where we will be impacted by Hurricane Matthew. After the storm, we will be able to give out more information about how United Methodist Churches in South Carolina can help with any recovery efforts.
If you have questions, please contact:
Matt Brodie
Disaster Response Coordinator
mbrodie@umcsc.org
803-546-1513
