Oakland has been active in disaster response for decades, sending out teams and individuals to various sites in response to events such as hurricanes, ice storms and floods whenever called upon, both in Virginia and as far as New York, Florida and Texas. As a local church, we only respond upon request from one of our state conventions (BGAV or SBCV). They in turn coordinate and work with the SBC, other state conventions, and various other DR organizations including FEMA, state and local governments, and the American Red Cross. To avoid a chaotic response, we only go when and where our aid is requested.
We have operated emergency feeding stations, cleared out downed trees, cleaned out flood damaged homes, and helped to rebuild homes and churches. The initial response occurs in the days and weeks immediately following the disaster, while rebuild may continue for several months.
Participants typically must be trained in advance for some callouts (such as emergency feeding), but others (such as rebuild) allow for on-site training. (Occasionally the requirement for training in advance may be waived if sufficient personnel are onsite to provide training on-site.)
Acronyms used on this page:
BGAV - Baptist General Association of Virginia
DR - Disaster Response or Disaster Relief
FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
IMB - International Mission Board
NAMB - North American Mission Board
SBC - Southern Baptist Convention
SBCV - Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia