Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology, wearing their signature yellow shirts, responded immediately to those in need in Sarasota and Pinellas Counties, Florida.
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Hurricane season continues its devastation in the southeast. Following on the heels of Hurricane Beryl, which hit the Houston, Texas, area in early July, Hurricane Debby came ashore near Steinhatchee, Florida, on August 5th, and left behind a wide swath of flooding along the Gulf Coast. In response to Debby, Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) Volunteer Ministers organized and deployed to help those in Pinellas and Sarasota Counties.
Hurricane Debby began as a slow moving Category 1 hurricane which drenched the whole Gulf Coast from Sarasota to Florida’s northern counties. Once inland, Debby slowed down, causing rivers to overflow as she moved north and then out to sea.
In her aftermath, dozens of government and National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) organizations responded to help, including CSDR volunteers. Each response group helped in its own way, cleaning up debris, removing downed trees with chain saws, feeding and sheltering those in need, or helping to organize the outpouring of donations from around the state and country. More help is still needed for clean up and repairs.
In Florida, CSDR volunteers, using Crisis Cleanup, an open-source web-based platform that connects community relief organizations with disaster survivors, assisted with debris removal and other chores.
Rev. Susan Taylor, National Director of CSDR, observed, “We were honored to be able to work side by side in the Pinellas County area with other National VOAD members, helping to remove debris while chainsaw professionals specialized in tree removal. Using Crisis Cleanup, we were able to narrow down exactly which houses we could help, and set about our work. While the response phase of the disaster has come to an end, it is vital now that more volunteers step up to help with long-term recovery. Many homes and families continue to need our help.”
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers working regularly everywhere in the country to help those devastated by storms, and bring them hope. CSDR is honored to work side by side with our National VOAD member organizations, and state and FEMA government officials to bring relief,” said Rev. Taylor. “All of us know that this 2024 season has more in store, and we remain ready to help.”
National VOAD, is an association of more than 75 national nonprofit organizations and government partners that collaborate to mitigate and alleviate the impact of disasters. It provides a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration, and fosters effective delivery of services to communities affected by disaster.
The National VOAD is the only organization in the United States which brings together disaster response and relief groups from many faiths (including Baptists, Buddhists, Jews, Methodists, Muslims, and Scientologists) and national organizations, including the American Red Cross and other nonprofits, to focus on disaster response issues with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state and county emergency management agencies.
With large and small disaster incidents on the rise, the disaster community focuses on the VOAD ‘four Cs” of cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration. NVOAD works with local, state, and federal officials to help coordinate volunteer disaster response organizations and to share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle – preparation, response and recovery – to help disaster survivors and their communities. NVOAD consists of 55 state and territory organizations with over a hundred national members and partners. They help organize disaster response and long-term recovery to maximize the effectiveness of voluntary organizations by coordinating where help is needed and what type of help each area might need. This includes such things as housing, food, emotional support and insurance assistance.
For the last 22 years Churches of Scientology Disaster Response Volunteer Ministers have participated on a national level, responding to help survivors of hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods and other disasters.
Volunteer Ministers in Pinellas county partnering with another NGO
About the company: Churches of Scientology Disaster Response is a U.S.-based disaster response organization incorporated in Washington, DC, with over 25 branches around the country helping to coordinate local and regional responses with government agencies and other NVOAD organizations.
Contact Info:
Name: Susan Taylor
Email: Send Email
Organization: Churches of Scientology Disaster Response
Address: 1701 20th St NW
Phone: 202-667-6404
Website: http://www.csdr-us.org
Video URL: https://www.volunteerministers.org/videos/
Release ID: 89138697
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