Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh has awarded NC Conference Disaster Ministries a grant to support recovery and rebuilding efforts on Ocracoke Island. We are grateful for the generosity of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh and their support of rebuilding homes, communities, and lives in eastern North Carolina.
Disaster Ministries
Working Together in Windsor
The images showing the Windsor tornado’s strength and power are striking. Houses picked up and shaken, their contents strewn all around. Trees stripped of their branches and bark and ripped up by the roots. Roofs torn apart, and windows blown out. Lives overturned as the wind came rushing in and left just as quickly, leaving devastation behind.
But other images are just as striking. Members of the local community who gather to take care of one another in a variety of ways. Volunteers from all over who respond to the call to serve as the hands and feet of Christ. People who show up to rebuild homes, lives, and communities. This work and these people are at the heart of the work of Disaster Ministries in eastern North Carolina.
Some of those who show up are from the community and experienced the tornado first-hand. Others come from places where storms have wreaked havoc at other times. They come because they know how it feels. They come because someone came to their community, to their town, to their house, and made things right.
Green shirts and orange shirts. Clergy and laity. Old faces and young faces and everyone in between. Some people come with chain saws and wheelbarrows. Some come with hot dogs and coloring books. After a storm, restoration is an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in many ways.
We invite you to be the hands and feet by giving to Disaster Ministries today. We need your help and your support as we work to rebuild homes, communities, and lives. Thank you for making a difference in our community!
NC Conference Disaster Ministries Call Center
Call: 888-440-9167
Email: disaster@nccumc.org
Outer Banks Update
In one of our earliest stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, we spent time on Ocracoke detailing the damage to the island community. Ocracoke UMC and the church’s parsonage sustained extensive damage from Dorian. The church was partially underwater; much of the sanctuary floor, along with pews, hymnals, and other items had to be removed. We are excited to share that repairs are ongoing to the church, including raising the church to hopefully prevent flood damage from future storms.
Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men (CHUMM) continue to be valued partners in the work of recovery on Ocracoke. They have recently undertaken a project to mitigate the impact of repetitive flooding on mobile homes on Hatteras Island. Dennis Carroll, a member of CHUMM, shared that “[t]he focus of the project is raising mobile homes since there are no governmental programs for lifting manufactured homes. Many of these on Hatteras Island are owned by young working families or seniors who face repeated flooding but have few options for moving, raising, or replacing their homes . . . After a COVID-19 delay, CHUMM has completed the first of what is hoped to be about a dozen elevated homes.” Disaster Ministries is partnering with CHUMM to provide case management and screening for applicants to ensure that resources are being used well.
Want to know how can you help? We want to hear from you! Contact the Disaster Ministries Call Center to find out about our current volunteer opportunities. Email disaster@nccumc.org or call 888-440-9167 for more information.
Disaster Ministries May 2020 Update
The Director of Disaster Ministries, Al Miller, shares an update about our operations in eastern North Carolina.
On this beautiful spring day God’s blessings to you and to your families.
I’m asking for your help. My name is Al Miller and I am the Director Disaster Ministries for the Conference.
We are getting ready to start operations again. For the past six weeks we have been closed because of the virus, but it’s time for us to get our people back into the field and get those who were affected by the hurricanes home again. Beginning May 11, our disaster recovery centers will open up for operations. Beginning May 18, we are asking you to come and join us. We are asking for day-trippers only, those who can only come for a day, for a couple of days. There will be no overnight stays at the centers. Beginning the 1st of June, we will be allowing people to come and stay in our centers at that point in time. But to complete the work that we’ve been asked to do, to be the hands and feet, we need your assistance.
We need you to join us in our efforts of getting those home again who were affected by the hurricane. God bless you, God bless your family. Thank you.
Disaster Ministries Donates Personal Protective Equipment
Al Miller delivering N-95 masks to Cape Fear Valley Health.
Photo by Cape Fear Valley Health
The Director of Disaster Ministries, Al Miller, delivered 3,000 N-95 masks to Cape Fear Valley Health on March 24. CBS 17’s Kayla Strayer writes about the donation.
Chestnut Street United Methodist Church helped deliver 1,000 N-95 masks from Disaster Ministries to the Southeastern Health Foundation in Lumberton on March 25.
Disaster Ministries also donated personal protective equipment to NC Emergency Management at their Tarboro Logistics Center for distribution across North Carolina. Rev. Bill Haddock, Ed Rutenkroger, Sam Loy, Tommy Gilbert, and Al Miller gathered supplies from across the conference. The donation included 11,125 N-95 masks, 600 utility masks, 100 tyvek suits, and 100 N-100 masks.
Disaster Ministries Coronavirus Update – March 11, 2020
North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church Disaster Ministries has been closely monitoring the coronavirus and COVID-19 in North Carolina. In response, we have made the decision to suspend operations in all of our Disaster Ministries centers and satellite offices from Sunday, March 15, 2020 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020. While operations are suspended, we will be using the time to thoroughly clean and disinfect all of our facilities. As the situation continues to develop, we will be monitoring and evaluating our next steps for April and beyond.
We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause. While we certainly understand the magnitude of the work of recovery that we are all involved in, the health and safety of our volunteers, staff, and clients is also of great importance to us. If you have questions or concerns, please contact 888-440-9167 or email disaster@nccumc.org.
Visit the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more updates on COVID-19 in North Carolina.