Adventist Community Services Disaster Response is an organized volunteer network that provides assistance to people in times of disaster. It is the practice of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in response to the command of Jesus Christ to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the poor, heal the sick and comfort the widow and orphan. Seventh-day Adventists cooperate in the Adventist Disaster Response program, giving their time, talents, money and goods to serve the victims of disaster.
The Georgia-Cumberland Conference has established a disaster response program to be a vehicle for carrying the church’s love and concern to victims of disasters. All responses to disasters within the borders of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference are the responsibility of the Conference. The execution of this responsibility comes under the direction of the Conference Disaster Response Director and the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator.
When a disaster occurs, steps will be taken to initiate a response. Included in these steps may be the gathering of information, assessing the information, accessing necessary personnel, contacting appropriate local and state government agencies, the Red Cross and other Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster.
Our response generally takes the form of operating collection centers, distribution centers and multi-agency warehouses. The Conference Disaster Response Coordinator will oversee the setting-up of these operations, arranging for their continued management and the closing out of the operation at the proper time.
Adventist Disaster Response functions in cooperation with appropriate government and other voluntary agencies. Adventist Community Services has entered into a written agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate the Church’s disaster relief activities with FEMA and the Church has pledged Adventist Community Services to provide specific services.
Adventist Community Services also operates under written agreements with the American Red Cross similar to the agreement with FEMA. It is also a member of the inter-agency compact, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), and the affiliated state VOADs.
