Disaster Relief Teams

     The Memphis Annual Conference has an excellent record of disaster response and recovery.  Living in "tornado alley" means we must be constantly ready to respond to crisis situations.  Over the past ten years, our teams have been deployed for more than seven major tornado outbreaks in our area.   Not only do the teams offer early response, they also provide longer term recovery and rebuilding to residents who have lost their homes.   In response to Hurricane Katrina, dozens of teams from the Memphis Conference traveled to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild devastated communities.

Our Conference organization consists of four area teams:

Area I:   Memphis

Area II:  Brownsville and Jackson

Area III:  Dyersburg and Paris

Area IV:  Paducah

Already in 2009, our teams have responded to a severe ice storm in Northwest Tennessee and particularly the Jackson Purchase area of Kentucky.  With thousands of power poles snapped off by the weigh of ice, many area residents faced days stretching into weeks without electricity.  Our teams, along with teams from all over the Eastern portion of the United States, assisted with debris removal.   Local churches openned their doors to provide warmth and hot meals where power was available.

If you would like more information about how you or your church can get involved in disaster response, or if you would like information about the most current training in disaster response, please contact the Connectional Ministries Office:   731-664-8480.