Groves FUMC Draws Record Group for Disaster Training
By Sherry Koonce, staff writer
The Port Arthur News
GROVES — Methodist church members from a five-county region gathered at First United Methodist Church in Groves Saturday for Disaster Early Responder training.
Sponsored by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the day-long taught participants how to help people recover from a disaster.
Whether it was the area’s experience with three hurricanes in four years, or a strong desire to help others, the 60 in attendance was the largest group ever assembled at once in
“This is a great turn-out today. The service is vitally needed. It’s important to be better prepared than to wonder what we are supposed to do after something like this happens, ” Dick White, district superintendent, said.
The church’s pastor, Alan Van Hooser, said he remembers moving to
At Saturday’s training, those in attendance learned how to use a chainsaw, how to pile debris, clean mud from homes, repair sheetrock and, perhaps what most Southeast Texans are familiar with — how to properly install blue tarps.
“This is an opportunity to show the world the
Once trained, the participants will be certified as early responders. If invited, they’ll travel to other parts of the country to help, but most plan to be ready to help out at home.
Robin Snoek, a member of the
“There’s something everyone can do to help. I can’t get up on the roof, but I can pile debris,” she said.
*This story was reprinted with permission. See the original article at panews.com