Mariners' Church

The Disaster Operations Team is a group of people from Mariners' Church and our partner churches who serve under the direction of leadership from Mariners' Church.
In partnership with The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) to provides Base Camp infrastructure support and on-site disaster vehicle maintenance and repair.

The vision for the near term:

One is a group of people who are familiar with, trained for and prepared to work on canteen trucks, primarily the Annapolis one so as to establish a disaster team here in Annapolis. But the larger picture and the mid-term vision is a group of people under a team leader who work for The Salvation Army in area's of mechanical services and facilities at major disasters. I want to pull together auto mechanics, electricians, plumbers etc who are experts in what they do. I'm trying to make a team that when a canteen truck comes in at the end of the day and has mechanical problems can fix those problems that night. This team would have it's own vehicles, tools and equipment supplied by it's members. This team would also be able to keep generators running, the air conditioning working and disaster vehicles on the road.

The vision for the long term:

I also want to eventually have tent(s) of the large arch type or of military type that can be erected in a few hours, air conditioning and lighting installed and cots set-up to sleep 1-200 people. All of the elements of the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief and The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services are not local infrastructure dependent with the exception of housing. The Army even has portable shower houses. When responding to Hurricane Ike the first people into Texas City didn't even know where they were going to sleep. It turned out to be a High School gymnasium, then later a civic center hall then bunk houses in a mall parking lot. All within two weeks time. At other times volunteers have slept without air conditioning in the post hurricane windless muggy air in tents on gravel parking lots. I hope eliminate the problems with that situation with portable structures, air conditioning/heating and generators contained on a trailer.