In the wake of recent hurricanes Milton and Helene, many people are looking for ways to help. Six years ago, my community was devastated by Hurricane Michael. Prior to going through that tragedy, I had led mission efforts and responded to natural disasters for decades. And yet, being the recipient of mission taught me lessons I could have learned no other way. I 'd like to share some of those lessons to be hlepful to those who are inclined to serve.
First and foremost, I learned anything that anyone does makes an enormous difference. I experienced some kinds of help that were extremely helpful and some that were less helpful. But for those in a disaster zone, just knowing that people care and haven't forgotten makes all the difference. During Michael, I had one man from Oklahoma send our church over $20,000 to help victims. A church from Ohio send us a small prayer quilt. A huge financial gift and a prayer quilt were both extremely precious--they were both signs that while the national consciousness moved on quickly, many people still cared and that we would not be alone in recovery. So, whether it's a donation, or sending a team to clean up debris, or putting together a flood bucket, do something, anything. It makes more of a difference than you can ever imagine. Even if you serve small way and even if you make mistakes in serving, it's better than not serving at all.
That being said, let me share some things that I didn't know before I went through Michael that changed the way I will serve in the future.
I learned that communities experience distinct phases of recovery after a disaster, and that the help they need in each phase is dramatically different in each phase. Immediately after a disaster, power is out, roads are blocked, homes are destroyed, grocery stores closed. Things feel apocalyptic. Big disaster organizations, whether governmental or charitable, are set up for long term recovery, so much of the immediate stabilization happens through churches and neighbors helping neighbors. In the first week or two after Michael, bottled water was desperately needed, but once the water came on, we didn't need it anymore. Churches heard we needed water and weren't able to send it quickly enough to help us, but by the time it arrived we had little use for it and it stacked up in an enormous pile that took nearly a year to be used up. People on the ground are grateful for any help at all, so they will not tell you when something that was once helpful has become a burden. For example, they won't tell you not to send clothes because they are afraid to sound ungrateful and because they are afraid that they won't get the help they need if they reject what they don't need. So an enormous pile of clothes ends up sitting outside the church begging for anyone to take it. It makes a big difference to be sensitive to this reality. If you want to be as helpful as possible, especially in the first few weeks after the storm, give the help needed when it's needed for the appropriate phase of recovery. How do you know what's needed when? Ask the people on the ground.
I learned that various organizations partner together to serve affected communities after storms, and I learned what each group does in relation to the others. United Methodist Committee on Relief provides money in the form of huge grants. UMCOR's grants are distributed through Annual Conferences. What they do best is "case management"--they train local people to serve in a role like a social worker specifically for disaster victims. Mennonites have the best teams of house builders. Mormons have the software that keeps track of all the projects in a community and they send huge teams of young people for very short term clean up. I've seen up close what FEMA does and does not do, what Red Cross does best (their shelters during the storm itself are indispensable, for example). I never would have known the infrastructure of disaster response without experiencing up close and being part of it. I've learned from this experience that giving money is super important for many reasons. Going to a place and doing projects is good, sending supplies is good, giving money is really good. These people know what they are doing. UMCOR is better than you can imagine, and the stuff we know they do like flood buckets and sanitary kits all comes from on-the-ground understanding of what really helps. Also, United Methodist Annual Conferences really do great work, and they often have to wait for the grants to come through from UMCOR, so giving to UMCOR and also to the Annual Conference creates flexibility and helps with immediate needs. Also, disaster organizations have extremely strict guidelines for the use of disaster funds for good reason. But those very good guidelines can sometimes be restrictive in ways that make it difficult to help with situations on the ground. During Michael, we had several hundred thousand dollars given to our church that went directly to help people in our community, and without those donations many people would never have been able to be helped or would have had to wait a long time to get any relief. So finding a trusted local church with a terrific accountability structure within a disaster zone to support with relief funds is wise also. I have a dear friend, Ed Glaize, who is pastor of the United Methodist Church in Boone, NC, and I am glad to see people sending support to his church as they serve that area. I've noticed that First UMC in St. Petersburg, FL has a QR code on their website specifically for disaster relief. It really helps to give money, and it really helps to give money through UMCOR, conference disaster relief, and a trusted local church.
I also learned that quite a few people who go on mission have an unrecognized desire to have a certain experience on their mission trip. I learned to pay close attention to the teams coming to help and to try to find them work that would meet their desire for the kind of experience they wanted to have in serving. I learned that occasionally teams could be difficult if the work we asked them to do didn't provide the experience they desired. Many years ago, I went to help in Biloxi, MS after Katrina. We were asked to help with debris at a large, nice home. At the time, I had mixed feelings about helping someone who appeared to be well-off when I assumed there must by many less fortunate people who needed help more. Since going through Michael, I learned that a disaster puts everyone at the same level, that everyone needs help. As someone who has now coordinated teams with projects, I understand just how difficult it is to identify the work that needs to be done and to coordinate the teams and their abilities with the known needs. I've looked back on my thoughts and feelings while working at that big house in Biloxi with regret. If every team came with a willing spirit and without judgement, the recovery work would be far more efficient. At one point I had someone on a team complain about a person who seemed to be taking more supplies than the team member thought he needed. What that person didn't realize was that the person was distributing supplies in his neighborhood, that no one was hoarding or taking advantage. Everyone was just trying to help everyone survive. Like I said before, it's better to show up and make mistakes than to stay home. But if you want to help, it's more helpful to come with a willing heart without judgement to serve however needed to whomever you are sent for whatever project you are assigned. I can still remember the conversations with people who simply told me the skills and resources they could bring and told me to just put them to work wherever and however they could be helpful. A few times a dealt with knowledgeable and experienced team leaders who could tell I was feeling them out for the kind of "experience" they were looking for, and knowingly assured me they only wanted to help however they could. Those people with open servant hearts were like angels of God to us.
Here's something else I learned about mission from going through Michael--people are more important than the task. The debris will get cleared, the roof will be repaired, supplies will be distributed. Eventually the work will get done, and it makes an enormous difference to do the work and help the people see progress. But when a disaster survivor seems to be holding you up from your job to talk to you about their pain, listening to that person is the priority. When a tough guy breaks down in tears talking about how he doesn't recognize the town he's lived in his whole life, hearing him out is what he needs. People in a disaster zone need to talk when they need to talk (or not talk when they don't want to talk). After Michael, I was invited to go to the Bahamas to help following Hurricane Dorian. We had no task, no project. We just listened to people, especially pastors. They were so grateful. If I hadn't gone through Michael, I wouldn't have understood why a mission trip with no task was important. It was important because people are important. By all means, do the task. But go for the people.
Here's something else I learned--the world moves on quickly. The news cycle turns over daily. In a week or two, Helene and Milton will be forgotten by most of the nation. When that happens, a deep dread will settle into the collective soul of affected communities. They will feel like the recovery will never end, and, in fact, their communities will have permanent consequences (not all of them bad). People who come in three months and six months and a year will let the communities know that they are not alone, that God has not moved on from them. Those who come after the immediate rush is over will embody hope. It's OK to plan to help with Helene recovery in three months or six months or next year or even the year after that. Help now. Help later.
Something else to be sensitive about--When you go into a disaster zone, you are also going into a person's home. It helps to respect survivors' space and routines. We are all creatures of habit, and none of us likes having our world turned upside down. When a disaster strikes, everything in life gets disrupted. Anything a team can do to respect the need for a community to get back to a sense of normalcy is helpful, and anything that disrupts life further can be a real challenge. When we went through Michael, we were so grateful to Crosspoint Church for putting on our Fall Festival for us. We host a Fall Festival each year, but we just couldn't make it happen on our own without help. Our children needed to dress up in costumes and play games and get candy. On the other hand, we had another team that came in and took over the kitchen. That wasn't so bad. That happened pretty often, actually. But one morning that group decided to make breakfast themselves and for our breakfast Bible study group without asking. When the folks who had planned to cook breakfast showed up and were pushed out of their own kitchen, they were understandably upset. All I'm saying is when you go on mission it helps to be a good houseguest.
Above all, know that when you serve people going through a tragedy of a natural disaster, you make an eternal difference. Any act of service, great or small, will never be forgotten and will touch lives in immeasurable ways. To all who helped us then and to all who are now helping after Helene and Milton, to all who do anything to alleviate the suffering in the world---THANK YOU. You shine like stars in a dark world (Phil. 2:15).
