Mission Makers
Natural disasters often leave a road of destruction in their wake. Minuteman Disaster Response (MDR) seeks to arrive right after the storm and help those in need. “The mission of Minuteman Disaster Response is to provide assistance in the immediate aftermath of a disaster through the deployment of highly trained and equipped volunteers,” Randy Rogan, Director of Operations, Region 4 explains.
MDR’s goal is to be close enough to a storm so that after it hits, the team of volunteers can be there to help with immediate needs and assess the damage. “Once the Rapid Response Team assesses the need, then they come back and inform the organization of the needs,” Rogan says, adding, “Then we decide how we are going to respond and deploy and send our Relief Team.” MDR was founded in 2011 and is based in McKinney, Tx. The organization recently expanded to have an operation base in Birmingham to cover what FEMA refers to as Region 4. They chose the Magic City since it is close to the middle of the region. Region 4 covers Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, and Florida. “We decided to duplicate all of our equipment and everything we have in Texas to Birmingham and that’s my charter,” Rogan shares.
The MDR team has recently dedicated time and effort to bring relief to the city of Amory, Miss. which was hit by an EF-3 tornado. “I was there the day after the storm hit performing rapid response,” Rogan says, adding, “For several weeks, we did chainsaw work, cleaned up properties, moved debris, and worked with the people. The most rewarding part is loving on the people.” The MDR team tells the families affected that they have been praying for them before they arrived and they also pray with them before they leave. “When they find out our work is free of charge, it’s a big deal for them,” Rogan says. To date, MDR has helped roughly 50 homeowners. Churches and individuals in Birmingham helped with this relief including the Church at Brook Hills which is a partner church of MDR. Rogan shares that the Birmingham group has deployed several other times this year including to Selma.
In coming to Birmingham, MDR hopes “to quickly respond and help more people in need. We are trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these communities,” Rogan says. Volunteers fuel the work of MDR. To learn how you can volunteer, visit www.minutemanresponse.org.
-Melissa Armstrong
