Disaster Response
United Way of Greater Mercer County
Disaster Response Policy
United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) embraces its role as the community catalyst and leader in bringing stakeholders together to develop and sustain public-private partnerships that leverage resources and create long-term solutions to our community’s most pressing problems and needs.
UWGMC is not, however, a disaster response, disaster relief or first responder agency in times of community crises, emergencies or disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes or floods. Our role in the greater Mercer community is to provide information and referral in assisting individuals and organizations to find and connect with the appropriate assistance in times of need. First responders to community disasters or emergencies are specially trained professionals who are assigned specific roles that are coordinated through a centralized system in each county that includes the Red Cross, Salvation Army and local government.
United Way’s role is facilitated primarily through our 2-1-1 call centers that can provide information and referral at the time of a community event. We educate, advocate and encourage all members of the community to utilize 2-1-1 for assistance at all times. We also educate and refer people to the appropriate disaster response agencies in our community, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Mercer County Office of Emergency Management, and the Mercer County COAD (Coalition of Agencies Active in Disaster).
In addition, UWGMC lists the links to these agencies on our website, as well as the list of providers of Emergency Assistance in our county. This list includes:
-Mercer County Board of Social Services
-Mercer County Dept. of Human Services
-Homeless Hotline - (609) 278-1481
Donations at times of a disaster may be made directly to the local Red Cross office in each county, or to one of the agencies listed above.