Missing Person Finder Website
International
Red Cross Family Link
US
State Department
Haiti Emergency: N GA Response
A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti causing widespread
destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead.
UMCOR is assessing the needs and preparing to respond. UMCOR asks for
prayers for all who are affected by the disaster. Support for relief efforts
can be made to Haiti Emergency.
1. Financial UMCOR Advance # 418325 via this link
or church offering plate or mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087
or
North Georgia Advance # 4183, Checks can be put in the church offering
plate or mail to Treasurer's Office PO Box 102417, Atlanta, GA 30368-2471
One hundred percent of gifts made to this advance will go to help the
people of Haiti.
2. Assembling Kits UMCOR Sager Brown has a urgent need for
several types of kits to provide
individuals with basic necessities.
Once kits are assembled call 770-739-9537 for pickup and delivery to
Austell Disaster Warehouse.
2a. Health Kit Instructions are available at this link
2b. Birthing Kit Instructions are available at this link.
2c. Layette Kit Instructions are available at this link.
3. Volunteering for Haiti There will be a great need for
volunteers to help rebuild once the initial crisis has settled. At this
time, it is not safe or possible for volunteers to go to Haiti. In order to
frame a response that is consistent with the churches’ needs, people
wishing to volunteer should contact the District Disaster Coordinator to
determine when and how to appropriately respond.
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Tennessee Flood Response
Volunteers Needed Rev.
Jason Brock, Disaster Response Coordinator for the Tennessee Conference of
the United Methodist Church, reports that flooding is widespread in the
Nashville area and elsewhere in that conference. Rev. Brock is
specifically requesting UMCOR -trained Early Response Teams. UMCOR ERTs
who are interested in working in Tennessee are requested to contact Rev.
Brock at JBrock@tnumc.com.
Please include information about the size and ability of your team. Cleaning
(Flood) Buckets The North Georgia Conference maintains a reserve of
flood buckets for flood incidents in Georgia. With the serious nature
of the situation in the Nashville area, 400 buckets of that reserve has
been sent to Tennessee and even more will be needed.
Instructions on assembling the buckets may be found with this
link. There was flooding in Georgia as well and some homes that were
flooded last September have been flooded again; so the buckets will be used
here as well. Once the buckets are assembled call 770-739-9537 for pickup and delivery to
Austell Disaster Warehouse.
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Major Flooding in South
May 4, 2010—Tennessee and neighboring states have been hard
hit by devastating floods resulting from a major weather event
that moved slowly across the southern states.
There have been several deaths and record-breaking floodwaters
in the Tennessee and Memphis Conferences. According to news
reports, a total of 24 people have died as a result of heavy rains
that have pelted this Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Georgia
since the weekend.
In Tennessee, given the vast geographic area impacted, accurate
numbers of those left homeless are not available, but dozens of
families in the western part of the state and hundreds in the
Nashville area remain in shelters.
Floodwaters in some areas are expected to exceed levels reached
in flooding during the 1930s, before levees and flood mitigation
measures were built.
“We continue to assess the situation, organize leaders, and
prepare the way for more and more opportunities for people to
respond. Please be patient and pray, even as further damage
continues,” said Rev. Jason Brock, disaster response coordinator
for the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Rev. Brock said that 200 cleaning buckets and 1,100 health kits
already had been distributed, but estimated that more than 2,000
flood buckets would be needed in Tennessee alone.
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Disaster Operations Center
Georgia Floods
1. Call for Assistance for yourself and family
2. Call for individuals or N. Georgia Teams that want to
volunteer.
3. Rebuild teams from outside the Conference.
678-533-1443
During the time of major response, please direct all contacts through the Disaster Operations Center. At other times, please contact the following.
Disaster Response Leadership:
Mike Yoder, Committee Chairperson
770-483-6384
m_yoder@ngdisasterresponse.org
Georgia Flood 2009
1. Financial N GA Advance # 390 for Disaster Flood
Relief Funds for rebuilding are limited. More is
needed badly.
2. Individuals to volunteer as Case Workers or staff the
Disaster Operations Center. Call Center at 678-533-1443.
3. Teams to rebuild homes Call Disaster Operations
Center at 678-533-1443 Case workers have just started working
with homeowners and teams that have volunteered are being
scheduled
Clean-up Teams - Avoid Liability
Please ensure that you have a signed right-of-entry form from the
homeowner to do clean-up and mud-out work prior to entering the
property. If such a document does not exist with your team or
the coordinating agency, do not commence work.
Sorting Piles for Damaged Homes
Home furnishing, furniture, clothing, and other personal items
should be sorted as listed below. The homeowner should be the
person to do this.
1. A Keep Pile
2. A Throw away Pile
3. A Clean up Pile
Curbside Sorting for Debris
Items to be thrown away should be sorted into four piles at the
curb. FEMA declared areas required this sorting, as the
contractor trucks picking up will only remove one category at a
visit. These are:
- Appliance debris (refrigerator-do
not open if without power for several days, stove, washer, dryer
- Building Material
-
Tree products (limbs,
logs, leaves)
-
Metal (roofing panels, siding)
Safety Considerations with Clean-Up
-
Stay away from downed power lines and report location to
power company. All lines should be considered live.
-
Flood waters were contaminated with sewage and chemicals so wear gloves to handle items
being moved or removed. Use sanitizer or thoroughly (20
sec) before touching face or eating (breaks, meals)
-
When entering home watch for damaged or damaged or
warped flooring.
-
Use contents of flood buckets to clean and disinfect.
Do not mix chorine bleach and ammonia, the resulting gas will
permanently damage your lungs.
-
If mold is beginning to appear or there is dust, wear a N-95,
P-95, N-100 mask. The mask will have one of the above
markings on it. If there is no marking, the mask should not be
used, as there are possible long range respiratory implications.
-
Throw out all food and other supplies that you suspect may
have become contaminated or come in to contact with floodwater.
-
If appliances are wet, turn off the electricity at the main
fuse box or circuit breaker. Then, unplug appliances and let
them dry out. Have appliances checked by a professional before
using them again.
-
Take frequency water breaks and eat something about 10-12-2
and 4 to maintain your energy level. Fruit (natural sugar)
or items with a low processed sugar level work best.
-
Tape off sharp edges with duct tape
-
Watch for spiders and snakes that might have been left in the
home by the flood..
-
Removing water from a basement takes a number of days to
prevent failing walls. Pump out to 1/4 down and repeat each day
until water stays at that level, then proceed to 1/2 and repeat
process.
-
Keep nails and other sharp objects removed from roadways and
driveways. Place in a bag on the metal pile. Pick up after
debris pick-ups
Insurance and Recovery
Homeowners in federally-designated flood plains are required
to have flood insurance, in addition to homeowners insurance, with their
mortgage. If they do not have a mortgage or live outside the flood
plain, insurance is not required. Since the Georgia flood exceeded the
flood plain boundaries, many homeowners will not have coverage for their
property.
So far, the State Farm who insures about one of every four
home in central Georgia reports that they have received, so far, about 4,400
flood claims with about 10% having flood coverage.
The first order of recovery is property & casualty
insurance, the second is FEMA and other federal agencies for
federally-declared disaster areas through their Disaster Recovery Center,
and the final resource is the local non-profit long term recovery
center which supported by local businesses and the faith-based
community.
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