UPDATE ON TYPHOON HAIYAN AND TORNADOES IN THE MIDWEST



UMCOR Philippines volunteers and staff loaded a cargo truck of relief goods which carried rice, oil, salt, brown sugar, beans, sardines, cooking oil, coffee, and water purification tablets for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Nov. 8. About 1,500 families, or 7,500 people, benefitted from the relief packages.

A caravan of three UMCOR vehicles carrying the vital supplies journeyed to the northern part of the country and onto the archipelago, through about 10 provinces, to reach survivors in the hard-hit city of Tacloban in Leyte Province. The distribution took place Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Thanks to the generous outpouring of United Methodists, this is just the first of several shipments UMCOR anticipates making to assist the survivors,” said the Rev. Jack Amick, in an UMCOR release. Amick is UMCOR’s assistant general secretary for International Disaster Relief, who traveled with the caravan to distribute supplies.

Typhoon Haiyan destroyed more than 250,000 homes and impacted more than 11 million people across 44 provinces. At least 3,500 people were killed in the super storm known locally as Yolanda.

United Methodists are encouraged to support relief efforts by donating generously to International Disaster Response Advance #982450 where 100 percent of your gift will support disaster survivors in need.

UMVIM Volunteers have not yet been invited to come and serve.  When they are invited, they will be needed for the next several years to help the rebuild efforts.



 

Please pray for those affected by severe weather which spawned an outbreak of tornadoes around several Midwest states on Sunday, Nov. 17. The tornadoes left widespread damage and killed about eight people. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee were all affected by severe weather, but the most widespread damage occurred in the town of Washington, 140 miles southwest of Chicago, where a powerful EF-4 tornado destroyed or damaged an estimated 250-500 homes, according to news reports. UMCOR has reached out to affected annual conferences to assess immediate needs.


TYPHOON HAIYAN

Typhoon Haiyan

 

 

 

Our prayers and thoughts are lifted up for all in the Philippines who were affected by the recent typhoon. 

 

At this time, UMVIM teams are not requested or encouraged to serve. Teams will be sent for long-term recovery at a later date. 

 

Please continue to be in prayer for the first-responders and all who might have lost loved ones. 

 

Also, please consider making a donation to the International Disaster Response Advance #982450

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND NEWS

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND NEWS



PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM CAL-NEVADA CONFERENCE

Retired Clergy Team to New Orleans, Louisiana (Hurricane Recovery) - November 1 - 9 Nadine Dewitt of Sparks, NV - Sparks UMC, leads and serves with John Sublett of Sparks, NV - Sparks UMC, Joan Wheeler of Colusa UMC, Nancy Schwartz of Bakersfield - FUMC, Mary Stegall of Redding UMC, Carol Olmstead of Placerville UMC, Carl Thomas of Sacramento FUMC, Sandra Roberts  of Turlock UMC, Rejean Idzeroa of Sonoma UMC , Joe Hurd of Philedephia UMCs and Betty Pagett.

Montague UMC Team to Salt Lake City, Utah (UMCOR Depot) - November 2 - 9 Matt Barber of Montague UMC leads and serves with Joe Morgan, Mark Peterson, Terry Barber, Sheila Morgan of Montague UMC, Vickie Maplesden of Yreka UMC and Teddy Walton.

Livermore - Asbury UMC Team to Birmingham, Alabama - November 2 - 9 Roger Everett of Livermore – Asbury UMC leads and serves with Dick Crawford, Sharmyn Crawford, Linda Evans, Tim Evans, Bob Hoffman, Coleman Johnson and Larry Suter of Livermore - Asbury UMC and Joan Pell of Byron UMC.

PUMA Cluster Team to New Orleans, Louisiana (Hurricane Recovery) - November 9 - 16 Pam Kurtz leads and serves with Jameliah Bates, Lagi S Kasiano, Tim Pokrywka, Craig Pokrywka, Steve Coneff, Mary Ata of Hope UMC - South San Francisco, Jordon Robb, Dawn Bradfield, Nailasikau Mateialona, Viliami Mateialona of San Mateo - Hillsdale UMC, Walt Manuofetoa,  Lesieli Fangupo, Ateliana Finau, Sela Wolfgramm, Sioeli Tangimana,Ilaisaane Vea, Mele Latu Taulahi, Tevita Vaikona of San Bruno - First Tongan UMC, Judy Riedy and Foakautuu Mafileo of Crystal Springs UMC, Alifaleti Latu and Ofa Manu of San Carlos - Fale Hufanga UMC.

Elk Grove UMC Team to Salt Lake City, Utah (UMCOR Depot) - November 18 - 22 Kathy LaPoint-Collup of leads and serves with Merrylyn Hebert, Lisa Olsen, Jean Sadler, Faye Corrin, Terry Patterson-Hale, Bonnie McGraw, Owen Mosburg, Ted Spaugy, Victoria Yanes and Ashley Wolfe-Yenowine of Elk Grove UMC, Judy Klein and Joan Cunningham of Linden UMC.

Individual Volunteers
Warren McGuffin of Alamo - San Ramon Valley UMC continues to serve in Haiti.
Viri Batiratu of Centennial UMC continues to serve in partnership with Fiji.

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Western Jurisdiction Disaster Academy :

“From Despair to Care!”

Western Jurisdiction Disaster Academy Schedule

March 3-6^th, 2014

 

Please mark you calendars for the first ever Disaster Academy here in the Western Jurisdiction held in Federal Way, WA!  For more information please contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net

 

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A big THANK YOU to Jim Truitt, UMVIM Co-Coordinator for Pacific

Northwest Conferencefor his amazing leadership in responding to the flooding in Galena, Alaska in coordinating volunteers to serve in the recovery efforts there!  Jim, along with UMVIM, received recognition of appreciation from FEMA as well.  Thank you to all the volunteers who served!!!!!!

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We are excited to announce news of the Young People in Mission event starting in 2014! Young People in Mission is a camp experience with hands-on mission opportunities for youth and young adults. It is led by a Design Team made up of students in high school and college. The dates for 2014 have been set for June 29-July 3 and the event will be held at Lake Junaluska.  For more information please visit www.umvim.org.

 

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Trip to the Holy Land: April 27-May 9, 2014. $3500 which includes airfare, transportation, accommodations, guide, meals. For more information, please email Rev. Kristen Brown at encounter@methodist-jer.org. 
 

 

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Raise the Roof Project: June 22-28, 2014, June 29-July 5, 2014. For students who have completed grades 8-12. Home Repair Ministry in Mobile, AL. $230 per person. For more information, email Jan Bailey at thertrproject@gmail.com.

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Announcing 
www.BuzzKills.net
Cal-Pac's Imagine No Malaria Site!

We are so pleased to present the newest resource for the California-Pacific Conference: our own Imagine No Malaria website.
Take a moment this morning to read stories from our conference, browse our resources, and learn what kinds of fundraisers, programs and events are happening throughout this region.

 

 

VOLUNTEERS TO COLORADO UPDATE

VOLUNTEER TO COLORADO UPDATE AND NEWS

 

 

The RMC is ready for ERTs now. The sooner the better. After the end of October, the response will transition to recovery and ERTs will no longer be needed.

The RMC can handle multiple ERTs at the same time. They have housing and job assignments for several teams at once.

The housing is in UMC church facilities or homes of parishioners. You need to bring your own cots and/or air mattresses, towels, etc.

There are cooking facilities in the churches but you need to provide your own food and prepare it.

A few of the churches have showers and those that don't are making arrangements with close-by facilities to allow you to take showers.

There are no charges associated with your response. You are more than welcome to make a contribution to the RMC Disaster Response Fund.

At this point it would be best if you did not bring a trailer. Pickups, especially 4 X 4s, would be more efficient and effective. Many of the roads and streets are still in poor shape and tough to navigate pulling a trailer. The first snow of the season is expected tonight. Snow tires would be a plus. Use your own judgement about church vans.

Some of the areas are still without power, water and sewer. There are port-a-potties in these area. If you can bring a generator, that would be to your advantage. The days are definitely getting shorter and darkness falls quickly.

Your job assignment will probably not be determined until just before your arrival. The number and location changes daily.

Once you select a date of arrival and let the RMC know, they will tell you where your housing is and the general location of your work assignment.

Most of the work will be muck out and clean out. Tool selection should be based on these tasks. The RMC does not have a store house of tools available.

The RMC is in the process of hiring a full time volunteer coordinator and project manager. They hope to have both of them on staff next week.

Please contact Nancy Boswell if you would like to serve as an ERT team to Colorado.  Her email is Nboswell@q.com.


Jim Truitt
UMVIM Disaster Response Coordinator
PNW Conference United Methodist Church
23441 147th Ave SE
Kent, WA 98042
253-630-1268 (H)253-797-1680 (C)
umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net



ERT TEAMS INVITED TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE TO HELP WITH FLOOD RELIEF

 

ERT TRAINED TEAMS INVITED TO COLORADO FOR FLOOD RELIEF

 

 

Gary Haddock, the Rocky Mountain Conference Disaster Response Coordinator has officially requested that ERT trained teams be sent to Colorado to help with flood relief.  If you are an ERT trained team volunteer, please send an email to RMCResponse@rmcumc.com and please put "Attn: Nancy" in your email.  Please stay tuned to this website for further information.

CHURCH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WEST; COLORADO UPDATE ; FUTURE TEAMS

CHURCH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WEST

NOVEMBER 13-16, 2013

 

On behalf of the Western Jurisdiction Congregational Development/New Church Starts Committee, this is an open invitation to attend the New Church Leadership Institute West, November 13-16, 2013 at Lake Merritt UMC in Oakland, CA.  The online registration is now open at https://calnev-reg.brtapp.com/NewChurchLeadershipInitiative.  Registration is $250 through November 4.  The preferred hotel for lodging is Oakland Marriot City Center for the discounted rate of $119 per night through October 23.  For more information please contact Rev. Bener Agtarap at (916)374-1581 or at benera@calnevumc.org.  Or you may contact Laddie Perez-Galang at mamcita@pacbell.net. 

 

 

 

COLORADO UPDATE

 

To date, there has not yet been an invitation by the Rocky Mountain Conference for Early Response Team volunteers (ERT) or any other volunteers at this time.  Assessment is taking place and the conference is not yet prepared to receive volunteers from outside Colorado.  Many United Methodist Church properties were damaged by the flooding.  They will need help getting rebuilt so that they can in turn assist their communities.  For now, volunteers are being asked to not self-deploy from outside the state in response to this emergency.  Colorado VOAD indicated that regional volunteers are providing hospitality to families displaced by the disaster and that conditions are not yet ready for additional volunteers to come.

 

For now, you may make a cash donation to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670.  This is the most effective and immediate way you can support relief and recovery efforts following a disaster.  Please put this offering in you local church offering plate.  You may also assemble cleaning buckets and other relief kits.  Please visit www.umcor.org for information on how to assemble these buckets and kits.

 

 

FUTURE TEAMS

 

 

Cambodia February 7-18, 2014 - Interested in serving in Cambodia?  The Oregon-Idaho Conference has received an invitation from Cambodia to send UMVIM teams there.  The team is limited to twelve members.  You do not need to be a United Methodist to participate.  The estimated cost is $2600.  This will include airfare, meals, housing, project fees, insurance and noted sightseeing.  This team will be led by Dee Poujade.  You may contact Dee at traveling.mimi@gmail.com or at 503-310-5577 for this amazing opportunity.

 

 

 

Kenya July 3-15, 2014 to work in Maua at the Maua Methodist Hospital and Meru to work in with schools and outreach programs.  Please contact one of the following team leaders for more information.  They are Louise and Jamie Kienzie at 541-620-0989 or kienzle.louise@gmail.com.  You may also contact Rev. Kate Conolly at revkat1@mac.com or t 503-559-8354 and Martin and Kathy Kannen at kmdannen@centurytel.net.  

 



 



 



WESTERN JURISDICTION DISASTER ACADEMY AND UPCOMING TRAININGS

 

WESTERN JURISDICTION DISASTER ACADEMY AND UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS

 

 

 

The first Disaster Academy to be held in the Western Jurisdiction will be held March 3-6, 2014 in Federal Way, WA.  This is a time where classes will be offered for those interested in how to put their faith in to action as they help respond to emergencies often due to natural disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes.  Trainers from UMCOR will teach some of the courses as well as others who have served as UMVIMers (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) volunteers.

 

If you are interested in more information and registration for the event, please stay tuned to this website.  You may also contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net.

 

 

 

TRAINING EVENTS

 

 

The Pacific Northwest Conference will be holding two ERT (Early Response Team) training events.  One will be held October 26, 2013 at Bellevue First UMC in Bellevue, WA.  The second will be held November 9, 2014 at Salmon Creek UMC in Vancouver, WA.  Both trainings will be from 8:30 - 4:30.  If you are interested, please contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net.

 

 

ERT Teams come in before UMVIM teams in response to disaster recovery work and persons who are interested in serving on an ERT team must receive ERT training and take and pass a test at the end of the training.