Disaster Relief: How to Help in Times of Crisis

Many times during disasters, people desire to go and help the people suffering. Or they want to send things to help. While that is an admirable trait, to desire to help, the best way that people can help, especially in the early stages of a disaster scene, is to give money.

A friend who was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina told me about seeing a mountain of clothing that had been donated, trucked in, and dumped in a Walmart parking lot. There it sat getting rained on and ruined since there was no process for distribution. Other people have talked about having truckloads of water come into a disaster area and then sitting because no one had worked out a plan for getting it to the people in need.

During those early stages of a disaster, the infrastructure is often damaged such that roads, power, and communication are not usable. Often there are many emergency units trying to get into the area to help make

rescues and to re-establish those necessary items. People coming into the region can actually make their work more difficult,

not to mention putting those volunteers in harm’s way.

There are many ways to provide good help during a disaster. One of those often overlooked is to begin praying diligently for those affected, and for those going in to help. Another way is to give financially. There are many avenues to give through, but one that I would suggest is here.

This is through the South Carolina Baptist Convention Disaster Relief. These funds are used to help provide meals and other resources in disaster areas. Several people from Rocky Creek recently went through the Disaster

Relief Training with the SC Baptist DR team and we are eligible to go with the Greenville Baptist Association Mud-Out team.

Click here to register, and please email David@rockycreek.church to let him know you are interested in participating. The minimum age for DR training is 18 years. The yellow hats of SBC Disaster Relief volunteers are a welcome site in those disaster areas because the people coordinating the relief efforts know these people are trained and prepared to work safely and effectively.