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Release: Gov. Nixon participates in roundtable discussion with faith-based and volunteer groups that have advanced Missouri’s ability to respond to and recover from natural disasters

During Safer, Stronger Missouri Week, Governor visits Springfield’s Convoy of Hope for update on Missouri Governor’s Faith-Based & Community Service Partnership for Disaster Recovery, which is recognized as a model for other states

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – At the non-profit relief agency Convoy of Hope today, Gov. Jay Nixon held a roundtable with some of Missouri’s key faith-based and volunteer disaster response and recovery agencies. The discussion provided an update on how the agencies’ partnership with the state continues to advance Missouri’s ability to assist communities affected by disasters.

“One of the most impressive and moving things I have continually witnessed in my years as Governor has been the invaluable work of Missouri’s faith-based and volunteer disaster response partners,” Gov. Nixon said. “They are more than simply caring and committed people who want to help their neighbors. They plan, conduct training exercises, invest in equipment, understand logistics and expertly coordinate with state and local emergency managers. In short, they are now an indispensable and integrated part of Missouri’s disaster response and recovery system.”

In October 2009, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate traveled to Missouri for a briefing by Gov. Nixon and members of the state’s faith-based and volunteer response and recovery partnership as FEMA worked to advance its partnerships with private sector, non-profit and faith-based organizations nationally.   

Under Gov. Nixon’s direction, the State Emergency Management Agency has coordinated regional and local training at churches and other houses of worship to expand Missouri’s cadre of disaster response volunteers. Since 2009, more than 2,500 individuals have been trained. As a result of increased volunteer participation and additional shelter certification, Missouri’s disaster sheltering capacity has increased from less than 10,000 in 2009 to more than 51,000 today.

Missouri state and local agencies now routinely coordinate with faith-based and volunteer organizations to establish “one-stop” shops, called Multi-Agency Resource Centers or MARCs, for disaster survivors to access services to assist their recovery. Resources typically include assistance with housing, mental health counseling, clean up and hygiene kits, insurance claim issues, and long-term recovery case management.

After the May 22, 2011 EF-5 Joplin tornado, one of deadliest and most destructive in U.S. history, the full impact of Missouri’s volunteer assistance network became clear to the nation. Red Cross volunteers opened a shelter at Joplin’s Missouri Southern State University, which had just become a certified shelter site the month before. Faith-based and volunteer groups delivered far more than food and clothing. For example, the Missouri Baptist Convention operated child care units so parents could tend to immediate needs, Catholic Charities operated a distribution center for donated goods, Convoy of Hope volunteers operated heavy equipment to demolish home foundations and expedite rebuilding, AmeriCorps handled volunteer registration and management and thousands streamed to assist Joplin. Over the first six months alone, more than 113,000 registered volunteers provided more than 688,000 hours of volunteer labor.

Participants in today’s roundtable included: Kam Kennedy, division director of state relations of the American Red Cross; Bruce Bailey, executive director of AmeriCorps St. Louis, Maura Taylor, executive director of Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri; Jane Cage, chairman of Joplin Citizen Advisory Recovery Team (CART); Karen Benson, director of global disaster response for Convoy of Hope and chair of the Missouri Governor’s Faith-Based & Community Service Partnership for Disaster Recovery; Alton Garber, board member of Missouri Mennonite Disaster Services; Jody Dickhaut, Missouri state director of Adventist Community Services Disaster Response and chairman of Missouri Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD); Tom Anderson, director  of Tri County Baptist Association; Tom Faulkner, director of Crosslines Community Resource Center; Marty Rueter, director of Emergency Disaster Services for the Midland Division of The Salvation Army; Debi Meeds, president/CEO of United Way of the Ozarks; Barbie Huff, director of development of Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity; Lane Roberts, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety; Ron Walker, director of the State Emergency Management Agency.

“I commend all those who have worked to make Missouri safer and stronger by advancing our state’s disaster response and recovery capabilities,” Gov. Nixon said. “Through strong coordination with our tremendous faith-based and volunteer partners, Missouri has built a response and recovery system that has been called a model for other states, and it is important to continue advancing our abilities.”