The tsunami that followed the 9.0-magnitude March 11 earthquake off Japan’s northeastern coast left piles of rubble in Ishinomaki and 10,000 of its residents missing. Today, Japanese Christians are operating a volunteer center in the fishing port to help the survivors recover their lives.

What many have called Japan’s triple disaster — the effects of the worst-ever earthquake, tsunami waves that easily scaled manmade defenses and unleashed radiation from a damaged nuclear power plant — was just the beginning of a year full of disasters to which United Methodists gave their money, labor and prayers in organized relief efforts. (The United Methodist Committee on Relief ("UMCOR") has raised $11.8 million for Japan relief.)

Drought, combined with political strife, sparked a hunger crisis for some 13 million in the Horn of Africa, while earthquake survivors in Turkey need assistance as winter sets in. Hurricanes, tornados and floods whipped across the United States, setting new records of destruction.

Six Hits Here At Home

The United States was plagued with what seemed to be a continuous round of storms, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and tropical storms — with a few unexpected earthquakes, wildfires and landslides thrown in — as evidenced by the list of “2011 Federal Disaster Declarations" compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Association.

1) After dozens of tornadoes caused extensive damage in Alabama on April 27, UMCOR-trained Early Response Teams poured in from all over the United States. Since then, the North Alabama [regional area], which has received a $1 million UMCOR grant, has served as host to hundreds of United Methodist volunteer work teams, providing housing and handling hundreds of recovery cases.

2) Then came the Joplin, Mo., tornado on May 22, now ranked as the seventh deadliest in U.S. history, with a death toll of 157.

Woods Chapel United Methodist Church — 140 miles away in Lee’s Summit, Mo. — has had one or more volunteer teams serving in Joplin every week since the tornado occurred. Missy Nance, now a volunteer coordinator, learned how to install siding and hang drywall so she could help. “If you can’t do it, we teach you,” said Ivan Lindner, a Woods Chapel volunteer.

3) On June 24, thousands were forced to flee their homes in Minot, N.D., as floodwaters covered the town. Relief efforts by the denomination began immediately, even though some churches — like Faith United Methodist — were flooded as well.

United Methodists pulled a trailer full of tools and equipment from Indiana to North Dakota to work on waterlogged homes like the one owned by Edward and Becky Ortiz. An Indiana team spent two days on the home, removing air ducts, heaters, tools and a refrigerator from the basement, then dismantling the hardwood floors upstairs.

4) After Hurricane Irene swamped parts of the New York [regional area], the Mississippi [regional area] reciprocated New York’s five-year commitment to post-Katrina rebuilding with a $50,000 grant for New York’s Hurricane Irene Relief Fund.

5) Two trained early responders from Upper New York, Linda Cooper and her husband, Tom, assisted with Alabama’s tornado cleanup in May. A few months later, they were assisting communities in their own conference affected by flooding from Tropical Storm Lee.

6) And in early September, when Texas was scorched by uncontrolled wildfires that burned more than 1,500 homes, the responders assisting those affected included UMCOR-trained spiritual and emotional care teams.

~Linda Bloom is a United Methodist News Service multimedia reporter based in New York.

More Info:

United Methodist Committee on Relief

• Official site: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor