By Tish Galu
St. Vincent de Paul Society
What would you do if an unexpected disaster hit the east coast? How would our diocese respond and where would we go for help?
There are more unexpected weather events happening every year across the country. We are thankful that there have been few events that have negatively affected communities within our diocese. But is it just a matter of time?
Many of you know the St. Vincent de Paul Society in your parish and community. There are 30 conferences in our diocese that provide help for neighbors in need of shelter, payments for rent, utilities, food, etc.
But you may not know that St. Vincent de Paul Society has a national non-profit -The SVDP USA Disaster Services Corporation. Its mission is to model the charism of the Society of SVDP by providing quality programs and services to families and communities impacted by natural and manmade disasters across our great nation. We are a self-sustaining non-profit that empowers Vincentians nationwide to provide continuous, compassionate and effective assistance to disaster survivors, ensuring long-term recovery and resilience in communities affected by natural and man-made disasters.
How would that work in our diocese if there is a declared disaster? Vincentians from all our 30 active conferences would work with our SVDP Disaster Recovery Regional Coordinator, SVDP Councils in our Mid-Atlantic Region, the Red Cross, FEMA, and local emergency responders to gather and provide vouchers for places to stay, food, clothing, shelters and whatever may be needed. We work with VOAD (volunteer organizations active in disasters) in each county and Maryland.
Typically, FEMA and the Red Cross as initial responders are there for a short term, whereas SVDP Disaster Recovery is there for an extended period of time – sometimes more than 2 years after the disaster is declared to be sure that our neighbors and families can recover and make good decisions for themselves and their families. For example, SVDP is still in North Carolina and Texas after the floods.
For more information visit our website — svdpdisaster.org. Or contact our SVDP Council — svdpwilm.org to learn more about how important SVDP is in our communities and parishes across the diocese. If you feel the call to assist those less fortunate in our communities, please consider joining us in both disaster recovery preparation and our general mission to help those in need. See if there is a conference near you to join in our work – visit www.svdpwilm.org.
Tish Galu is SVDP Wilmington Council President and can be reached at patriciagalu@gmail.com
