UMCOR Tip for Volunteers: Make 'AIST,' Not Haste

Volunteers thinking of travel to Port Arthur, New Orleans, or Gulfport to help with hurricane relief should think before they act, say disaster response officials at United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Hurricanes Rita and Katrina swept through these areas Sept. 24 and Aug. 29, erasing whole towns and flooding low-lying areas for miles inland.

Rule Number One: "Don't become part of the disaster" by just showing up, cautioned Kristin L. Sachen, UMCOR Emergency Services Office head. It pays to act with "AIST, not haste," she said. AIST is an acronym that can guide volunteers who want to work effectively in relief efforts.

A-Affiliate with a national disaster response group like UMCOR early response teams or United Methodist Volunteers in Mission.

I-Have a specific Invitation to work. Volunteers who enter a disaster zone without a plan add to the burdens of the community already in trauma.

S-Know where your specific Setting, or assignment, will be. Volunteers can be most effective when they are going to an agreed-upon work area that is ready to receive them and supervise their efforts.

T-Train for response. Those without training may not be equipped to handle the emotional impact of loss and need they will see in hurricane-devastated areas. UMCOR early response teams and leaders of UMVIM teams receive intensive training.

There may be plenty for volunteers to do in their local churches to support the relief effort. Packing health kits, assembling school kits, boxing up bedding, and arranging for shipment are critical tasks early in an emergency response.

"The greatest gaps for volunteers to fill often happen after the cameras stop rolling," said the Rev. Mary Gaudreau, UMCOR consultant from the Oklahoma Annual Conference. That may mean later in the long-term recovery process-allowing dedicated volunteers to get the training they need to be effective responders.

United Methodists can contact their Volunteer in Mission coordinators for more information. A list of these coordinators is available on the web at http://gbgm-umc.org/vim/vimcoords.htm or write Mission Volunteers at voluntrs@gbgm-umc.org to learn more.

Cash gifts will help UMCOR continue to support work of volunteers, annual conferences and interfaith response efforts in the Gulf Coast disaster area as well as other vulnerable regions of the world. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal, including the Hurricane Rita appeal, UMCOR Advance #901323, goes to support recovery efforts in the disaster-stricken regions.