7 Florida United Methodist Review Online

Lessons learned from Andrew, Hugo help Central Florida

By Michael Wacht

MIAMI -- United Methodist relief efforts for Hurricane Andrew and Hugo have ended, but the impact of those responses has gone far beyond the homes that were repaired or rebuilt in the communities affected. The experience and knowledge gained helped relief workers in later disasters be more effective and better prepared.

Members of the Miami disaster response team were involved in the Orlando District's response to tornadoes which swept through the area last February, killing more than 40 people.

"A lot has been learned that helped the Central Florida disaster response," said the Rev. Robert Parsons Jr., pastor of Miami Lakes United Methodist Church in Hialeah.

Parsons and his wife, Allison, were in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. They spent the next four years working on United Methodist relief efforts in south Florida, which involved more than 8,300 United Methodist volunteers and cost nearly $5 million.

He said many who had worked on Hurricane Hugo's relief effort in 1989 shared lessons they had learned about disaster relief with Hurricane Andrew disaster response workers. "It's the neatest thing to see that learning passed on. There were people here with experience in Hugo, and that experience is invaluable," Parsons said.

Several new organizations grew from relief efforts in South Florida. An interfaith community development corporation began in cooperation with the Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, according to Lynette Fields, who served as director of the Miami District disaster response and is now a member of the disaster response team in Orlando, where she serves as director of Outreach Ministries for St. Luke's United Methodist Church.

"There's a whole new appreciation here for what volunteers can do in response to disasters and the need for volunteers in disasters," Parsons said. "Nothing can get in [to a disaster area] like volunteer organizations. Officials are now paying a lot more attention to them."

Parsons said the Miami District has established a disaster response board to ensure that the United Methodist Church is prepared to react to any emergency, whether it's "an influx of immigrants on the beach or another hurricane."