The South Carolina Conference has been awarded two UMCOR grants totaling more than $825,000 – one to wrap up disaster recovery work on homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew, and another to launch disaster recovery efforts in the wake of this year’s Hurricane Florence.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief Board of Directors on Dec. 7 approved:

• A $322,164 grant that will pay for the conference’s final recovery efforts – from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2019 – at homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
• A $502,886 grant that will pay for the first phase of the conference’s recovery efforts – from Jan. 1 through July 31, 2019 – at homes flooded in the wake of Hurricane Florence, which caused historic flooding earlier this year across a large swath of northeastern South Carolina.

Donate to UMCOR

The Hurricane Florence grant is part of a $2 million gift to UMCOR from the Duke Endowment, which is the first part of a $5 million package Duke Endowment trustees approved to support communities in South Carolina and North Carolina that were affected by Hurricane Florence.

UMCSC Disaster Recovery coordinates its efforts with the state Emergency Management Division and other non-profit groups through South Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

The goal of UMCSC Disaster Recovery is to accompany communities in need over the long haul of their recovery until a “new normal” is established after a crisis. It works with homeowners who might be on fixed incomes, can’t afford insurance, and don’t qualify for federal disaster assistance.

Much of the hands-on disaster recovery work is handled by volunteers from across the state and the nation. The presence of these volunteers keeps down the cost of repairing homes, which allows UMCSC Disaster Recovery to help more people in need.

Want to volunteer?

UMCSC Disaster Recovery needs volunteers to roof houses, repair siding, install sheetrock, repair floors and other tasks to return South Carolina families to safe situations.

Whether you can help for a couple of days or a week. Whether you have an experienced team or you want to come alone and work alongside new friends. Whether you are young or old, experienced or not, local or out-of-state.

Your time and talents are needed. To volunteer, please contact UMCSC Disaster Recovery at:

803-726-3105

screcovery@umcsc.org