Disaster Response Services

World Renew's Disaster Response Services volunteers give of their time and talents to help clear debris, assess needs, and rebuild homes after disasters strike.

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.

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. 

 

Volunteer!

Getting started

Click for General Volunteer FAQ's and visit worldrenew.net/volunteer to find all opportunities.

 

What are the current opportunities? 

Updated volunteer opportunities are sent out each month in the Opportunity Link email. Click here for a summarized pdf of this month’s most urgent and timely volunteer opportunities. | Sign up here to receive this each month via email.

 

I am looking for an opportunity for:

Myself and/or one or two other adults:

Click below for information on the following opportunities or visit worldrenew.net/volunteer.

  • DRS Managed Reconstruction Sites (1-3 weeks at a time): Click here to learn more.

  • Needs Assessment: Click here to learn more.

  • Rapid Response (clean-up): Click here to learn more.
     

Ready to get started? If you haven't filled out a volunteer application yet, please do so at worldrenew.net/drsapp. Contact Diana Marquez at 800-848-5818 or dmarquez@worldrenew.net with questions.

A group mission trip

To plan a week-long mission trip with your church, family, school, or business, visit worldrenew.net/volunteer to see the opportunities. 

Ready to get started? Fill out this short form and we will contact you. If you are not sure which location would be the best fit for your group, or if you just have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office at drs@worldrenew.net or 800-848-5818 with any questions. 

 

*Background Checks

All volunteers must complete background checks before volunteering. Information is available from our office.

 

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. 

Activities This Month

A summary of planned responses for June and July 2018.

CANADA
British Columbia
• Recruiting volunteers to work on homes in August in response to 2017 wildfires.
Alberta
• Pursuing new opportunity for home reconstruction in Fort McMurray in response to 2016 wildfires.
New Brunswick
• Monitoring flooding over the St. John’s river.

 

UNITED STATES
California
• Participating in planning meetings this month in Santa Rosa in June regarding the response to wildfires.
• There is a one-week work group in June and one in July working on homes as part of wildfire recovery.
Florida
• A needs assessment will be conducted in Orange County in July and there is one more request in process.
• Four one-week groups are repairing homes in July in response to Hurricane Irene.
Georgia
• A needs assessment will be conducted in Glynn and Macintosh Counties in July and there is one more request in process.
Hawaii
• In touch with the FEMA representative regarding the volcanic activity. Because eruption continues, no response can be planned at this time.
Indiana
• Connecting with communities affected by flooding this spring.
Louisiana
• The long-term reconstruction site in Hammond closed for summer and will reopen in the fall. This work is in response to 2016 flooding.
• There are three one-week groups in June and one in July repairing homes damaged by flooding.
Michigan
• There is a one-week group in June and one in July repairing homes damaged by 2014 flooding.
Mississippi
• There is a one-week work group repairing homes in June.
Missouri
• A one-week work group is repairing homes in July in response to flooding.
North Carolina
• The Tarboro reconstruction site is closed for summer but will reopen in the fall. This work is in response to Hurricane Matthew, October 2016.
• Monitoring effects from recent flooding in other parts of the state.
• There is a one-week group in June and three groups in July repairing homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
Puerto Rico
• In July, one reconstruction team will be in Fajardo and one on the west side of the island between Aguadilla and Rincon repairing homes damaged by Hurricane Maria.
• Recently gave a grant to a church in Fajardo to support their recovery efforts in their community.
• Continuing to work on long-term plans in response to Hurricane Maria.
Texas
• Planning a new long-term reconstruction site in response to Harvey. This will open in the fall of 2018.
• The long-term reconstruction site in San Marcos (response to 2015 flooding) closed permanently this spring.
• The long-term reconstruction site in Rio Grande Valley is closed for summer but will open September – December 2018. This work is in response to 2015 flooding.
• There are seven one-week groups in June and five groups in July repairing homes damaged by Harvey.
West Virginia
• There are seven one-week work groups in June and six one-week groups in July repairing homes damaged by 2015 flooding.

 

 

Click here for resources for World Renew DRS.

Find World Renew's Annual Report at worldrenew.net/ministryreport.

 

For questions on volunteering, donating, or our services, feel free to
contact World Renew DRS staff at drs@worldrenew.net or 800-848-5818.