Volunteers in Mission

Early Response Teams

Early Response Team Trailers

 

EARLY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING

Read more: http://www.epaumc.org/resources/disasterresponse/early-response

ERT Training November 19, 2011

A date has been set for Early Response Team training on November 19, 2011 at Bethany UMC in Wescosville, outside of Allentown.  Training will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Cost of the training is $15 per person with lunch and a light breakfast provided courtesy of Bethany UMC.

Early Response Teams (ERTs) are the folks who go in right after the emergency phase of a disaster to muck out homes, tarp roofs, remove wet drywall and insulation and cut up downed trees to make homes safe, sanitary and secure.  No repairs are performed by these teams.  They often need to be totally self-sufficient, taking care of their own meals and transportation into and out of the affected area.  Training is mandatory in order to participate on one of these teams and reasonably good health is required.  Our goal is to eventually be able to deploy ERTs from each of the six districts in our conference, each with their own, fully equipped trailer. 

Bethany UMC is located at 1208 Brookside Road, Allentown, PA 18106.

Attendance will be limited to 30 people and a place can be held only after receipt of a check.  If you wish to attend, please notify Helen Newell at jihenew269@aol.com  or (610) 584-4057 .  Checks payable to “EPA-VIM” with the notation “ERT Training” may be sent to Helen at 954 Garfield Ave., Lansdale, PA 19446.

The mission of an Early Response Team is to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of a disaster. These teams are neither first response groups of emergency workers nor recovery rebuild or repair teams; rather they fill a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church.

Early Response Teams - Fall Flooding

 

Waterways are flooding as some areas of southeastern Pennsylvania received another 10" of rain.  This follows closely on the heels of the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene last week.

Our local Emergency Response Teams are requesting that each of our churches collect flood buckets for use in local clean up.

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS ON ASSEMBLING CLEANING (FLOOD) BUCKETS

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF LOCAL COLLECTION POINTS IN THE EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONFERENCE

Please collect the Cleaning (Flood) Buckets and take them to your local collection point as soon as possible.  According to Volunteers in Mission Coordinator, Ben Botti, there are eighteen local collection points ready to receive donations of Cleaning Buckets.

Botti also encourages churches to get involved in Early Response Team training, which will be held two times in September.

September 10 and September 24, 2011
Early Response Team training:
 Both trainings will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Cost of the training is $15 per person with lunch and a light breakfast provided courtesy of the host churches.  Early Response Teams (ERTs) are the folks who go in right after the emergency phase of a disaster to muck out homes, tarp roofs, remove wet drywall and insulation and cut up downed trees to make homes safe, sanitary and secure.  

Crisis Preparation and Response Plan

In case of a crisis in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference:

CRISIS PREPARATION FOR CHURCHES

Be Prepared for a Crisis

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