Disasters rip apart not only homes and businesses; they can rip apart families and lives as well. In times of crisis, it’s important that victims of disaster hold onto a sense of community, a sense of love, a sense that they’re not going it alone.

LSS/NCA has been actively assisting victims of disaster -- man-made and natural, local and international -- for more than 30 years.* Working with local churches, community organizations, and individual volunteers, we develop programs and services that offer relief in times of extreme need.

The services we provide are both immediate and far-reaching. With our volunteers, we prepare and deliver disaster recovery kits, and when disaster strikes, we are able to supply the displaced essential resources such as shelter, food, and medical care. Because the most devastating of disasters’ effects are long-lasting, we also offer relocation services and employment programs that help victims get back on their feet and return to living a familiar life.

Overview of Services

LSS/NCA offers two distinct disaster-related services: disaster preparation and disaster response.

Disaster Preparation Education

Through a course called PreAct, LSS/NCA educates leaders of local congregations how to develop response plans that will protect their communities and help them recover after a disaster.

Throughout the year, we train volunteers how to respond in the wake of a disaster. Every year, we train more than 125 individual disaster response volunteers with a course called Prepare2Care. We are also able to train volunteer groups wishing to travel to disaster sites and assist with the rebuilding process. Other local volunteers prepare One+Plus disaster recover kits, which we store at local churches that have volunteered space and deploy when needed.

Disaster Response

LSS/NCA’s response begins by activating our mobilized network of service partners, which includes (but is not limited to) local and regional churches, schools, hospitals, clinics, and social service groups. With these organizations, we are able to provide the food, shelter, and medical care needed in the immediate wake of a disaster. Using the money from Hardship Grants, LSS/NCA has been able to provide lasting relief as well: building homes, relocating families, and finding job placements for the recently unemployed.

How You Can Help

Volunteer

The most immediate way you can serve those in need is by donating your time and life skills where they are needed most urgently. As noted above, LSS/NCA offers various volunteer training opportunities -- for leaders of congregations, individuals in the community, and groups looking to help elsewhere.

Organize Your Church or Group

You can raise awareness in your community by gathering a group that is willing to participate in disaster recovery work. LSS/NCA works with churches, schools, and civic groups to help them develop their own disaster preparedness plans and pre-register their volunteers. In the wake of a disaster, LSS/NCA will organize local donation drives and train volunteers wishing to assist with rebuilding projects.

Donate

As with all of our programs, our disaster response services are offered at no charge to the beneficiaries. Your financial gift to the Disaster Response Program of LSS will directly assist individuals and families and support disaster preparedness education for churches and community groups.