August 24, 2012

UPDATE: The Volunteers in Mission team in Haiti reported Friday night that the shifting winds and rain had disrupted internet service but that all was well otherwise. They said they would provide more information as soon as possible.

With winds at 60 miles an hour, Tropical Storm Isaac continued toward Haiti on Friday afternoon, Aug. 24, and United Methodists were gearing up to provide relief.

As the storm swirled into the Caribbean and toward the continental United States, United Methodist relief workers and annual (regional) conferences firmed up plans and put people in place to provide help as needed.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief posted Aug. 23 to its Facebook page – where it will continue to provide storm updates – that in anticipation of Isaac's arrival, the UMCOR Haiti office will be closed. "Staff are preparing today to respond to anticipated relief needs occasioned by the storm," the post said. "UMCOR Haiti asks your prayers, especially for the most vulnerable people who since the 2010 earthquake are living in precarious structures."

As of Jan. 12, 2012, UMCOR had raised nearly $46 million for its long-term recovery work there. Church members in partnership with the Methodist Church of Haiti continue to help with earthquake recovery, and that relationship helps as a big storm approaches.

The United Methodist Volunteers in Mission in Haiti wrote on the afternoon of Aug. 24 on its Facebook page, "So far, we are not seeing any signs of the storm. No rain or heavy winds at this point. The tracking is showing that the storm may be headed south of Port au Prince and will not be here until late this evening."

The Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference is posting to its Facebook page information to help its churches prepare for the storm. Amelia Fletcher, conference disaster response coordinator, posted an update Aug. 24. It read in part, "The State of Alabama VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) held a call at 1 p.m. today. Although most in this group are not trained meteorologists and storm forecasters, the consensus is that there will be some sort of landfall in or close to our conference. Significant wind and surf could arrive in our conference by Monday evening. Various groups within the targeted areas, such as the Salvation Army and Red Cross, are in alignment and cooperatively preparing for this storm."

Beth Dean, the Mississippi Annual Conference disaster relief program director for the UMCOR, said Aug. 24 that the conference plans to monitor the storm over the weekend, and, when Isaac's path is clearer, direct everyone to the conference website for updates and alerts.

In the Louisiana Annual Conference, Bishop William W. Hutchinson posted a letter on the conference website. "We in Louisiana know well how to prepare and respond to hurricanes. We would like to remind our churches and parishioners to prepare their families, fellow parishioners and community neighbors. Please pay special attention to the elderly and those with handicapping concerns. … Please announce during services this Sunday for all of our members to prepare for what might come our way."

United Methodist News Service