DISASTER RESPONSE

Brethren Disaster Ministries (BDM) is continuing work this year at a rebuilding site in Letcher County, Ky., with new builds and repairs of homes damaged during the July 2022 flooding event. Illinois/Wisconsin is scheduled to assist with a team in Letcher County Dec. 7-13. A second project site is expected to open later this year. BDM is currently building its volunteer schedule for 2026. 

In response to a request from the Red Cross, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) sent two Critical Response Childcare teams to Texas to care for children affected by the early July flash flooding in the Kerrville area. Two CDS teams also responded to the aftermath of the May 16 tornado in St. Louis, Mo. 

For those interested in volunteering with CDS, two trainings are available this fall: Sept. 26-27 at Warrensburg (Mo.) First United Methodist Church and Oct. 17-18 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and two in spring 2026: Feb. 20-21 in Beaufort, S.C., and Feb. 27-28 in Glendale, Ariz. Registration, including all meals, curriculum, and overnight is $55 for early bird, and $65 if sent less than three weeks before the event. Participants in the 25-hour training, which includes a simulated shelter experience, learn to provide comfort and encouragement to children by offering the healing young children need in traumatic situations. Learn more and register at www.brethren.org/cds/training/.