Disaster Response Services

DRS Mission Statement

• To show God’s love and bring hope to disaster-impacted communities in North America by restoring the homes and lives of those who are most vulnerable,

• To help communities build their capacity to prepare for and recover from disaster, and,

• To provide opportunities for Christians to honor the Lord by using their time, talents and financial resources in service to others.

World Renew DRS carries out its mission through services at every stage of recovery, in partnership with other organizations and volunteers.

DRS Services

World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) responds to disasters in a variety of ways. These include the following and are made possible by volunteers. 

• Early Assessment - In the days and weeks immediately following a disaster, trained volunteers provide spiritual care to survivors, network with other responding organizations and gather information that will be used to plan longer term support.

• Rapid Response - This phase of DRS' response addresses the clean-up needs through trained volunteers by mucking out flooded homes, removing downed trees and completing minor repairs after a disaster, especially covering roofs to protect homes from the elements.

• Unmet Needs assessment - An Unmet Needs Assessment involves trained volunteers conducting a community survey to identify disaster survivors with unmet needs, generally several months after a disaster when the local recovery group is operational and most homeowners know the financial assistance they will be receiving from insurance and the government. The local recovery group uses this information to respond to and meet the needs of those in their community.

• Organizational Capacity Building - This phase of DRS' response provides training and guidance to local recovery groups, equipping them to expand their ability to help disaster survivors over the long term.

• Home Reconstruction - World Renew DRS volunteers give their time and skills to repair disaster-damaged homes. Individuals, couples, and groups volunteer for varying lengths of time depending on the time of year, type of DRS reconstruction opportunity, and preference of the volunteers. This work is always done with a local recovery group in disaster-affected communities.

• Community Development Consultation - Helping local recovery organizations move from disaster response to addressing the long-term needs of their community is the last phase of DRS's work.

• Construction Estimating - Trained volunteers make personal visits to homes to determine appropriate materials, skills and time required for repair and construction. This information is then provided to the local recovery group to use for planning the recovery process. 

World Renew DRS works in partnership with the National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disasters (National VOAD) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other national disaster response organizations, and many local recovery groups. 

For Churches

DRS Sunday

Find how your church can support disaster survivors. Visit worldrenew.net/drssunday to learn more.

Disaster Preparedness

If a tornado came through your town on a Wednesday night, does your church have a plan for the groups that might be meeting at church that night? Are important documents in a safe place in the event of a flood? Visit worldrenew.net/prepare-disasters for a step-by-step guide to develop a disaster preparedness plan for your church.