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Katrina Recovery

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To help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in Mississippi
Call toll-free: 866-435-7091
E-mail: disastercenter@meridianumc.org
FAX: 228-374-2067

The Mississippi United Methodist Disaster Response Center exists to aid Katrina Recovery efforts through the healing of hearts and homes along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 
 

Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, destroyed or damaged numerous houses. With the gift of labor from volunteers from around the country and donations from countless others we are able to help qualifying people move from temporary housing into Safe, Sanitary, and Secure homes. 

Volunteer Scheduling
We continue to need volunteers in our Katrina Recovery and Disaster Response efforts. 

NEW!! Please download the Volunteer Work Team Guidebook below for detailed information on our Katrina Recovery mission and purpose, updated policies, and things you should know before scheduling a volunteer work team.

Volunteer Work Team Guidebook

Our volunteer call center is located in Biloxi and serves as the point of contact for churches, teams, and individuals wishing to come and work in Mississippi, make donations to our disaster relief, or simply get up-to-date information regarding the recovery process. Our primary focus is the scheduling of teams and individuals who wish to come and serve in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. 

We are open five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  We are located in the Central Time Zone.

To get information about scheduling trips, please download Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below, or call our volunteer coordinator, at the toll-free number above for detailed information and assistance.  The FAQs answer questions such as "What sort of work are you doing?" and "What costs are involved?"

Katrina Recovery FAQs 

After you read the new Volunteer Work Team Guidebook above, you can schedule a volunteer work team into one of our sites by printing our Volunteer Form and either faxing it to 228-374-2067, or emailing it to disastercenter@meridianumc.org.

Volunteer Form

Recruiting Volunteers
in Your Church
If your church or organization is interested in bringing a group to Mississippi, but you need more info and have questions, we have a Volunteer Packet, consisting of a DVD along with a CD full of resources, that we would be more than happy to mail to you.  The information in this packet will also help you as you recruit volunteers for your team.  Just call us toll free at 866-435-7091 or email us at disastercenter@meridianumc.org.

Policy on Youth Volunteers
We encourage youth to participate in relief and recovery efforts, believing such work will help them develop their sense of compassion and the desire to help others.  

Youth, defined as persons ages 14-18, will be invited to work in Mississippi following the guidlines of our Safe Sanctuary Policy.

Camp Sites
We are currently housing volunteer work teams at three camps across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Please click the links below for Camp Site calendars and Camp Site descriptions.  

To better serve you, we have recently updated our calendar system.  The totals at the bottom of the calendar represent the number of spaces still available at the camp on a given night.  We hope this will make our calendars easy to read and aid us in the scheduling process.

Please also note that we do not work on Sundays.  Please schedule your team to arrive late on Sunday afternoon and leave on Saturday morning.  We are currently scheduling the remainder of 2009 and all of 2010.  We even have teams scheduled into 2011.  We encourage you to complete the Volunteer Request Form and submit it as soon as possible.  We schedule according to first received requests.

     -Camp Gulfside (Waveland)           Calendar         Site description

     -Camp Love (Gulfport)                   Calendar         Site description

     -Camp Hope (Vancleave)               Calendar         Site description

Giving to Our Response
We understand that not everyone can join the Katrina Recovery efforts as a volunteer worker.  Being a volunteer is not the only way to be involved.  Giving is a great way to join in the work here.  While our efforts are supported in large part by donations made to UMCOR, there are other ways to give.  How to Give

Join Us in Prayer

We invite you to join with us in prayer.  Pray for volunteers, Disaster Response Center staff, and especially for those living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast whom we seek to serve.  Please download the following Prayer Guide.  Use it to prepare your team in prayer before coming to the coast.  Use it as a way for your congregation to participate during your team's mission trip.  Prayer Guide

Mississippi United Methodist Katrina Response
The DRC is part of the Mississippi United Methodist Katrina Response, which seeks to be a living expression of God's love by alleviating the suffering of those impacted by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and throughout the state of Mississippi. As part of the Mississippi Conference we are connected to other United Methodist churches throughout the country and world. It is the strength of our connectional system as United Methodists that allows us to quickly meet the needs of persons impacted by disaster.

Katrina Recovery Contact    

Robert Sharp,  Director

228-234-3387

rsharp@datasync.com

Mississippi United Methodist Katrina Response Office

An UMCOR Partner Organization

 "Healing Hearts and Homes"

1400 Leggett Drive, Biloxi, MS 39530

Toll free 866-435-7091; Fax 228-374-2067