Hundreds of Volunteer Ministers of the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response deployed from Clearwater headquarters in wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton

Finding many residents with multiple needs for help in cleaning up, the Scientology volunteers are working tirelessly across Pinellas County and other Florida counties to help in the aftermath

Washington, DC, USA – October 16, 2024 /MarketersMEDIA/ —

Hundreds of Scientology Volunteer Ministers gather daily at their headquarters in Clearwater, FL

The Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) Volunteer Ministers based in Clearwater, Florida, gathered more than 700 volunteers in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and deployed teams throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Citrus counties to help those in need.

By official and anecdotal accounts, the fall of 2024 has been one of the worst hurricane seasons ever for Florida. Those in the state barely had time to catch their breath after Hurricane Helene when news of Hurricane Milton – bigger and worse than Helene – was on its way. This one-two punch left a sea of devastation as the two hurricanes swept across Florida’s barrier islands and on to the inland counties. Volunteer Ministers joined other volunteer organizations coming from around the country.

Hours after Hurricane Milton passed over Clearwater, leaving wind damage and flooding, the volunteer organizations formed assessment teams and swept over the area to discover and report road closures, structural damage and persons who needed help. Assessment is the first step in deciding how and when to respond – finding out what is needed and wanted. Milton’s strong winds blew the rain through cracks in windows, tore roofs off, flooded basements, downed hundreds of trees and moved piles of beach sand inland up against houses and into roadways. The news of many confirmed tornadoes in the state activated more volunteers.

Starting where needs were most critical, hundreds of volunteers organized into small and large teams to remove debris from roads and homes and set up points from which to distribute water and food.

One Volunteer Minister remarked that while he stopped into an ice cream shop after a long day of work, a stranger yelled across the room, “I know you! You helped me today clean up our home. Thank you so much. It would be an honor to pay for your check.” Reports like this are being heard not only by the Volunteer Ministers, but by many other dedicated disaster response organizations who are members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD) as they help the elderly, disabled, and those in distress.

The Volunteer Ministers in their signature yellow shirts have been using an invaluable tool called Crisis Cleanup, an open-source web-based platform that connects community relief organizations with disaster survivors. Using Crisis Cleanup to improve coordination and reduce duplication of efforts, the Volunteer Ministers were able to maximize their assistance to the community. 

In the aftermath of each hurricane, Florida VOAD and Volunteer Florida continue to hold daily virtual coordination calls which bring together over 100 individuals each day to share resources and needs. Each response group is helping in its own way, cleaning up debris, removing downed trees with chain saws, feeding and sheltering those in need, and helping to organize the outpouring of donations from around the state and country.

Rev. Susan Taylor, National Director of CSDR, said, “Even though the Volunteer Ministers are tired, their spirits are high as they gather daily at their base and deploy their teams around the county to help those in need. This is what volunteers do. They are dedicated to helping others and proud to serve.”

For the last 22 years Churches of Scientology Disaster Response Volunteer Ministers has participated throughout the nation, responding to help survivors of hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods and other disasters. Churches of Scientology Disaster Response is a U.S.-based disaster response organization incorporated in Washington, DC, with over 25 branches around the country helping to coordinate local and regional responses with government agencies and other NVOAD organizations.

About the company: The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office represents the Church in the Nation’s Capital and works with many organizations to improve human rights, criminal law reform, drug education, and religious freedom internationally.

Contact Info:
Name: Rev. Sue Taylor
Email: Send Email
Organization: Church of Scientology National Affairs Office
Address: 1701 20th St NW Washington,DC
Phone: 202-667-6404
Website: http://www.scientology.org

Video URL: https://www.volunteerministers.org/videos/introduction/introduction.html

Release ID: 89143758

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