Disaster Response — Training Articles

The following article / training tool was submitted by Spanish Fort United Methodist Church and Prodisee Pantry:

Articles submitted here are tools and ideas that other churches or organizations currently use or have used in the past.  Other information relating to disaster response may also be submitted.  If you have questions about the articles, please contact:

 

 John Eads:  251-338-1352

or email:  jeads@voase.org
Text Box: Congregational Hurricane Preparations By Deann Servos Director of Community Outreach Spanish Fort United Methodist Church The 2007 Hurricane Season is upon us. Coastal communities are gearing up for what is being called an above normal storm season. Now is the time to take a few simple measures that can make a big difference should a storm strike in your area. Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Rita caught many churches and faith based organizations off guard. Pastors were scrambling to track down and check in on their congregation. Evacuations, debris and general lack of basic communications made this task very difficult. The time to check in with your members is before a storm makes landfall. There are three basic steps to prepare your congregation for Hurricane Season. Develop a plan for your church Update your congregation’s member list Create a phone/email chain Having a plan can result in a sense of calm, when people’s nerves are often rattled by a looming hurricane. Since churches are often the center of their community, having a plan and communicating it with your member and the surrounding neighbors can lessen the stress of storm season. Keep your plan simple. Depending on the size of your congregation, select specific volunteers to assist the pastor with the following pre-storm preparations. Storm monitoring Securing the buildings Backing up vital computer records Covering, unplugging or removing computers & electronics Secure paper files with sensitive information Activate phone chain Communicate post-storm plan with congregation Where to gather after storm has passed, including day and time someone will be at building Where to go should building be severely damaged Who to contact with immediate needs When first responders can expect to be called What tasks your church can and will do to assist the community in the aftermath of a storm. Critical to preparing your congregation is updating your membership records. This can be simply done by asking everyone to fill out a form similar to the one inserted below. Once all of these forms is completed and returned, a volunteer can organize them into a phone/email chain. The number of phone/email captains you need depend on your congregation’s size. At Spanish Fort United Methodist Church, the pastors and staff split up the church roster and call to double check on each family’s plans, pray with them and inform them of when the church will reopen. Collecting email is essential for disseminating information to families that have evacuated outside of the affected area. They will be able to log on and get updated information about damage, response efforts, and connect with their church family. This also cuts down on the number of calls seeking information in the hours following a storm. (example) The Congregational Care Card is an essential tool for communicating with and keeping track of your members. It is important to have a duplicate copy of this card file/computer file and secure it in a safe place not in your church. In addition to the Care Card, you may want to have your members fill out a “Sign me up to help!” card. This will allow you to building a disaster response volunteer work force. Following Hurricane Ivan and Katrina, Spanish Fort United Methodist Church experienced a huge increase in community and church member volunteers who wanted to help those facing devastation. Again, this is a grassroots effort run on a phone/email chain. Volunteers who sign up for the phone chain will activate the volunteers. They can tell them where, when, and how to respond as well as check on the well being of families. (example) Creating a phone/email data base from the “Sign me up to help!” card will allow you to quickly identify training needs and ministry opportunities. Volunteers of America Southeast’s Faith Links can help to link your congregation or faith based organization to training, mentors, disaster response sites and more. This program had its genesis in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If you’d like help creating your church or organization’s hurricane plan, log on to www.voafaithlinks.com and click on SIGN UP to link up with other groups who are willing to share their plan with you.

Congregational Care Card

 

Family Name: ______________________________

 

Address:______________________________________________________________

 

Home Phone: ________________________ Cell:_____________________________

 

Email:______________________________

 

Family Members Names and Ages

_____________________________________________________________________

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Hurricane Plans:  _______ride out in home _________evacuate _______ not sure

 

  If evacuating, where:__________________________________________________

 

Emergency contact:________________________ Phone:______________________

 

Special needs:__________________________________________________________