National Services

Lutheran Disaster Response shares God’s hope, healing and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need.

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports citizens and emergency personnel to build, sustain, and improve the nation’s capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

You could help save countless lives by taking simple actions to prepare your community or organization for a disaster before one strikes. Through ready.gov, FEMA offers free trainings and other resources to train yourself and others on the best ways to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster or emergency.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is a component of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. The NHC mission is to save lives, mitigate property loss, and improve economic efficiency by issuing the best watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather and by increasing understanding of these hazards. The NHC vision is to be America’s calm, clear, and trusted voice in the eye of the storm and, with its partners, enable communities to be safe from tropical weather threats.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has learned the difficult lesson that accurate weather forecasts do not always result in a good outcome. Traditionally, forecast accuracy was the measure of success for the NWS, but we need to be a weather-ready nation where communities across the country are ready, responsive, and resilient to weather, water, and climate threats.

The Great ShakeOut is an opportunity to practice how to be safer during big earthquakes. While earthquake hazard varies from region to region, most of the Southeast is prone to earthquakes. You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, at work, at school or even on vacation.

CDC offers a number of resources that public health professionals, clinicians, emergency responders, and others can use to share health and safety information in the event of a natural disaster.

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) was founded over 50 years ago in response to the challenges many disaster organizations experienced following Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm that hit the Gulf Coast in August, 1969. Up until that time, numerous governmental, private sector and nonprofit organizations served disaster survivors independently of one another. As a result, help came to the survivors haphazardly.

North Carolina Services

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety works to safeguard and preserve the lives and property of the people of North Carolina through prevention, protection, and preparation with integrity and honor.

You may be on your own for hours or even days after a disaster. Being ready for an emergency helps you and your family to survive. It also allows police, fire fighters and emergency medical workers to help those who need it most. Plan. Prepare. Be Informed. ReadyNC, a program of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS), provides information on all kinds of disasters likely to occur in North (and South) Carolina and provides a wide range of resources to help families, congregations, and businesses be prepared.

North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster is an affiliate of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). National VOAD, an association of organizations that mitigates and alleviates the impact of disasters, provides a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration; and fosters more effective delivery of services to communities affected by disaster.

The membership of North Carolina VOAD consists of both locally based organizations and local representatives of National organizations. Our mission is to strengthen the capabilities of organizations working together in our state to respond to communities affected by disaster. North Carolina VOAD member organizations cover a broad range of missions and technical expertise, and adhere to the 4 Cs: Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration.

South Carolina Services

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division leads the state emergency management program by supporting local authorities to minimize the loss of life and property from all-hazard events.

South Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or SCVOAD is an affiliate of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). A VOAD is an association of organizations that provides a forum for representatives from VOAD organizations, promoting Cooperation, Communication, Coordination and Collaboration; and to foster more effective delivery of services to communities affected by disaster.

The membership of South Carolina VOAD consists of both locally based organizations and local representatives of national organizations. The mission of VOAD is to strengthen the capabilities of organizations by working together to respond to communities affected by disaster in South Carolina. SCVOAD member organizations cover a broad range of missions and technical expertise, and adhere to the 4 Cs of Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration.

Resources

Lutheran Disaster Response shares God’s hope, healing and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. Find resources for you and your congregation to get involved, spread the word and help raise money for people affected by disasters.

The ELCA helps congregations consider their property and liability insurance needs and make plans for risk management and loss prevention from a wide range of events, including fraud, active shooters, and disasters.

Church Mutual Insurance, which is endorsed by the ELCA, provides no-cost safety resources to better prepare your organization and protect your people so you can focus on your mission, knowing that effective risk control measures are the best way to help prevent risk-related losses.

Preparation starts with proper planning. Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company has worked with law enforcement and security consultants to provide resources for you to use in developing security plans for your congregation.

Affirming God’s love for all people, we work with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice and human suffering. We work with people based on need, regardless of race, religion or nationality and do not evangelize. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) provides aid in emergencies and help families restore their lives. There are many ways congregations can be involved in supporting their work.

Church World Service (CWS) believes that miracles happen every day because of our generous donors and volunteers. When you assemble CWS Kits (including flood buckets), you transform lives by providing help for today and hope for tomorrow.

The FEMA App is your personalized disaster resource, so you feel empowered and ready to take charge of any disaster life throws your way.

The official app of SCEMD. It is designed for users to build their own emergency plans, to keep track of supplies and to stay connected to loved ones. In addition, coastal residents can now “Know Your Zone” instantly using the maps feature as well as locate the nearest emergency shelters when they are open. The tools section features a flashlight, locator whistle and the ability to report damage to emergency officials. The SC Emergency Manager can function without the need of a data connection, which is useful when basic utilities are offline.