Church World Service-United Church of Christ
Resource Unit on Technological Disasters

Resource & Response Guide
On Technological Disasters

-  Issues Overview

-  Health Effects
Of Hazardous Materials

-  Chemical Profiles

- Pollution
Sources in Your Community

- Hazardous Material Release Incidents

-  Hazardous Waste Cleanup Technologies

- What the Law Says

- Organizing
An Interfaith Disaster Response

If your community organization  needs specific help on responding to a technological disaster, contact the CWS-UCC Resource Unit on Technological Disasters via e-mail.

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Other Help
On the Web

- Environmental Organizations

- Federal Agencies

Public Health & Research Organizations

American Bar Association

American College
Of Chest Physicians

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Y2K:  Today's
Hot Topic

Learn About the Y2K Computer Problem & How The Church Can Help
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E-mail your comments & suggestions
on our web site
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 The Church World Service-United Church of Christ (UCC) Resource Unit on Technological Disasters is a planning, consulting, referral, and resource development service coordinated by UCC staff and volunteers for the wider religious community through the CWS Emergency Response Office.  It assists denominations, faith-based organizations, and people related to the religious community in developing preparedness/response/ mitigation programs around disasters characterized by acute and/or long-term effects arising from technologies (i.e., catastrophic release of poisons or radiation and explosions or slowly spreading contamination).  The Unit has two primary responsibilities:
  • Recommending strategies & tactics on the religious community's participation in preparedness, response, and mitigation programs related to technological disasters
  • Assisting in development of human resources & materials to:

(1) Train volunteers from the religious community to effectively counsel state and local faith-based organizations on technological disasters

(2) Equip state and local faith-based organizations to engage in preparedness, response, and mitigation activities related to technological disasters

(3) Educate local congregations about technological disasters

The Unit's specific tasks include:

  • Identifying appropriate activities for faith community involvement at state and local levels in preparedness, response, and mitigation related to technological disasters
  • Maintaining a data base of existing resources -- organizations, people, media -- that informs effective involvement by the faith community in technological disasters
  • Providing knowledgeable counsel to the denominations, faith-based organizations, people related to the religious community on specific questions and issues related to technological disasters through telephone consultation, web site & e-mail, and other communication vehicles
  • Conducting training workshops on technological disasters oriented to relgious community volunteers who respond to disasters and working on environmental issues
  • Conducting training seminars to build the capacity of faith-based organizations to participate in state and local activities related technological disasters
  • Generating non-technical educational materials oriented to local congregations to build awareness of technological disaster issues and explain the role of the religious community in addressing them

The Resource Unit on Technological Disasters  plans and implements projects through an interfaith task force organized, administered, and funded by the United Church Board for World Ministries. The task force includes people with special expertise in technological disasters.

The task force works with the Church World Service Emergency Response Office as representative of the wider religious community to establish priorities and focus on particular projects related to the parameters for activity.