Response to flooding in Louisiana

The people of Louisiana and surrounding areas have been hit hard by flooding following incredible rainfall totals recently.  Of course, we should continue to lift these folks in our prayers.  You and members of your churches may be wondering what else we can do to help.  The following summarizes notes from Ken Anderson, our Conference Disaster Response Coordinator:

• While at some point flood buckets may be needed, because we currently have about 1,200 flood buckets at the Mission Response Center (MRC) in Terrell, NC, as well as many more in various locations throughout the Southeast, we are being asked not to prepare and send flood buckets at this time, and not until requested by the MRC.  UMCOR coordinates transportation of the flood buckets.

• It is too soon for Early Response Teams (ERT’s) to go in to the disaster area.  When the Louisiana Conference invites ERT’s to the area, our Conference Disaster Response Team will post that information.

• In the meantime, monetary contributions to UMCOR are welcomed.  Please make checks payable to UMCOR (or to your local church, which can then write a single check to UMCOR) and in the memo line for the check(s) to UMCOR write: “Disaster Response, United States (#901670).”  Alternatively, checks can be sent directly to the Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, in which case “August 2016 Flood” should be written in the memo field of the check.  The mailing address for the latter is:  Louisiana Annual Conference, Attn.: Flood Buckets, 527 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.  (Please communicate this information to your church treasurers.)