Early Response Team Training
Disaster Recovery Support
Early Response Team volunteers are trained to be a part of a fully trained team or to lead a non-trained team to assist recovery activities. These teams are neither a first response group of emergency workers nor a recovery rebuild or repair team; rather they fill a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church.
The New Milford United Methodist Church has several members that have been trained as volunteers and have responded to disasters in Haiti, Long Island, Rhode Island, and the Catskills.
Early Response Teams provide a Christian presence and take steps to prevent further damage to a family’s personal property (stabilizing by tarping, debris removal, chainsaw work, cleaning out of flooded homes,etc.). Teams may be asked to manage donated materials, gather information or perform other tasks as deemed necessary by the community; observe survivor’s needs and report these to the local operations and be a part of the caring ministry of “listeners” who will help survivors begin to heal.
How can I be involved?
Disaster Recovery Support
Early Response Team volunteers are trained to be a part of a fully trained team or to lead a non-trained team to assist recovery activities. These teams are neither a first response group of emergency workers nor a recovery rebuild or repair team; rather they fill a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church.
The New Milford United Methodist Church has several members that have been trained as volunteers and have responded to disasters in Haiti, Long Island, Rhode Island, and the Catskills.
Early Response Teams provide a Christian presence and take steps to prevent further damage to a family’s personal property (stabilizing by tarping, debris removal, chainsaw work, cleaning out of flooded homes,etc.). Teams may be asked to manage donated materials, gather information or perform other tasks as deemed necessary by the community; observe survivor’s needs and report these to the local operations and be a part of the caring ministry of “listeners” who will help survivors begin to heal.
How can I be involved?
- Register for Early Response Training. 4 -6 hour training sessions are held periodically through the New York Annual Conference.
- Be available when a trip is scheduled through NMUMC or in some cases through other churches.