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The following information is from Kathie Mann, the UMVIM conference coordinator in Texas.

Texas Annual Conference is accepting Recovery Trained Early Response Teams for some of the more devastated areas, but they are also accepting Long Term Clean-up Teams for those areas that are ready now.  Teams can stay in various churches and need to be semi- self-sufficient.  The area does have gas now, and stores are open in most areas so teams can buy food products.  It will depend on the area they go to.  Galveston Island is to be open next week for clean up teams, but only Early Response will be allowed there.  Surfside and Freeport are in desperate need of muck out teams and debris removal.

There will be two other locations set up as long-term recovery offices in a matter of weeks.  Currently, all teams need to register online (http://www.txcumc.org/ikevolunteer), and they will be contacted for deployment.  There are several locations which will be able to handle teams as staging points.  Gas lines are long in Houston, and little gas is available.  Most place are without electricity.  Water, ice, and electricity are extremely limited.  People are using feeding centers to get MREs, water, and ice.  There is limited phone and cell phone service, but the infrastructure is being rebuilt as rapidly as possible.

With the number of floods in the Midwest this year and impact of hurricane Gustav and Ike, there is a desperate need for Flood Buckets at the Sager Brown United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) facility.

Flood Bucket Kit Contents

• 5-gallon bucket with re-sealable lid
• Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle. Do not include bleach if you are shipping the bucket through the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx)
• 5 scouring pads
• 7 sponges
• 1 scrub brush
• 18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
• Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
• 1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
• Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
• 50 clothes pins
• Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
• 5 dust masks
• 2 pair latex gloves
• 1 pair work gloves
• 24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
• 1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See Special Requirements below.)
• 1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See Special Requirements below.)

Note: if the requested item size is not available, go down to the next available size. If nothing is available in the requested or smaller size, put masking tape on the outside of the bucket saying, “This bucket contains no _____________”

Important Kit Assembly Information

• All items included in kits must be NEW items.
• All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items-nothing more.
• Do NOT include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

Special Shipping Requirements

Cleaning Agents. All cleaning agents must be liquid and in plastic bottles. No powders. Pack them inside a bucket or strong outer box.

Aerosols or Flammables. If including these types of supplies, ship kits by UPS Ground, Fed Ex Ground, or by truck. Do NOT ship by US Mail or DHL/Airborne freight.

For Processing / Shipping Cost Information and Instructions

Follow the "Instructions" link in the highlighted Packing and Shipping Kits section at the right side.

Thank you for your donation- it helps sustain lives!

Click here to download the kit instruction sheet.

As an alternative to shipping Flood Buckets to the Sager Brown facility in Louisianna, they be dropped off at the North Georgia Disaster Response warehouse by arranging a meeting time with a member of the NGC Disaster Response Team Member.  Click here for more information.

Mississippi Mission Teams Needed

Mississippi Volunteer Center