Church Recovery Efforts Begin After Hurricane Laura

Updated Sept. 3, 2020

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UPDATED Sept. 3, 2020

From the Louisiana Annual Conference:

Hauling Trailers

We have a special call-out and need for volunteers willing to haul trailers loaded with supplies from Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette directly to the Lake Charles region and various sites in the disaster zone. If this interests you, please contact an Asbury representative today: 337-984-4211. 

Debris Clean-Up

We’re asking for volunteers on two different dates to help remove debris in Lake Charles at various sites. All volunteers must be 18 or older and no registration is required.

Date #1: Saturday, Sept. 5th

  • St. Luke Simpson United Methodist Church in Lake Charles, 1500 Country Club Road
  • 8:30 a.m.
  • Must be 18 or older.  
  • Wear work clothes, gloves, closed-toe shoes and long pants.  
  • Bring ice chest with water, first aid kit, sack lunch.  

Date #2: Monday, September 7th

Maplewood United Methodist Church, 11 Center Circle

  • 8:30 a.m. 
  • Must be 18 or older.  
  • Wear work clothes, gloves, closed-toe shoes and long pants.  
  • Bring ice chest with water, first aid kit, sack lunch.

Right now, Lake Charles cannot support volunteers at this time.  Emergency personnel are asking us not to come to the city yet. 

View Bishop Harvey's response on YouTube.

Louisiana Annual Conference Aug. 31, 2020 – The most immediate way to help is to pray. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. In fact, we have heard from several people around the country who are using this article as a guide to prayer. They are holding the individual churches in prayer as they know these church communities will be in the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. 

GIVE NOW

One of the most impactful ways to help is to give financially. Your donations will matter! They will help us respond today, tomorrow, and in the future as we continue to assess Louisiana residents' needs. You can head to this web site, or you can text "relief" to 800 500 5858. 

Individual Help 

Right now, Lake Charles cannot support volunteers at this time.  Emergency personnel are asking us not to come to the city yet.

There will soon be many opportunities to volunteer. To register as a volunteer, please head to this portal and tell us a bit about yourself and your church. We will match your skills and interests as a volunteer with an area of need. 

Early Response Teams (ERTs) will soon be called to help.  Please stand by for a call-out.  ERTs are trained and certified by UMCOR in disaster response.  Even if you haven’t been formally trained by UMCOR, there may be a place for you on our teams.

Many supplies are needed for our relief work.  You will find the list here. If you want to donate something that is not on the list, please contact us first.  We do not accept clothing, shoes or furniture.  Drop-off sites for donations vary, so please contact us for the latest supply center locations.

VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION →

ERT Callout

An ERT callout is expected very soon. ERT stands for Early Response Team, and these individuals have been properly trained by UMCOR and are stand by. If you are trained in disaster response but have not been formally trained in the ERT system, you cannot, at this time, deploy with the ERT teams. However, if you sing up as a volunteer, your skills will be useful as we go forward. 

Supplies

There is a huge list of needs right now. You will find the list below. Please note that the list does not contain clothing. This is often a misunderstood part of disasters. The system gets inundated with clothing, and it becomes a burden to manage. Please understand that there is no need for clothing. 

  • Baby food
  • Diapers
  • Water
  • Generators
  • Tarps
  • 12 penny nails
  • Furring strips
  • Box fans
  • Work gloves
  • Gas cans
  • Flat blade shovels
  • Extension ladders
  • Extension cords
  • Flat bars 
  • Crowbars
  • Rakes

If you have a specific question about supplies, where to send them, or even your volunteer status, please contact us. 

LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE | August 27, 2020 – Hurricane Laura arrived early Thursday morning, bringing 150 mph winds to Cameron Parish along the coast of Louisiana. The storm then proceeded to head toward Alexandria and through the northern portion of the state. 

Forecasters are saying the storm is one of the most severe storms to have ever hit the state of Louisiana.

The Conference Office of Missional Outreach and Engagement continues to assess the situation and this page serves as an update on what we know, where some of the most extensive damage is and how we as Methodists can respond. 

  • Extensive damage at University United Methodist Church in Lake Charles
  • FUMC Lake Charles suffered roof damage
  • Damage at Maplewood United Methodist Church in Sulphur
  • Extensive damage at Squyres United Methodist Church in Ragley
  • Damage at Vinton United Methodist Church 
  • Minor damage at DeQuincy UMC
  • Damage at Henning Memorial United Methodist Church in Sulphur
  • Seen to the right is Wakefield Memorial United Methodist Church in Cameron, located just two miles from the coast.
  • We are getting reports of damage in Ruston, the extent is unknown at this time 

An ERT call out is expected. However, at this time, please refrain from self-deploying as it will hamper rescue efforts. The Office of Missional Outreach and Engagement will advise as to when the ERT call out will happen and what to expect. Please monitor our web site and social media channels for those updates.

Bishop Harvey shared her thoughts and you can read those here. 

Meanwhile, if you have photos or damage reports, please email: communications@la-umc.org

And finally, if you would like to GIVE, please head here.