Today is the last day of National Preparedness Month. Just because the month is ending, doesn’t mean the work of being prepared for disaster ends. With this in mind, we want to take the time to highlight 5 tips that can be useful to congregations.

Top 5 Tips to Prepare Your Faith Community for a Disaster – By Michael Stadie

A minister once shared with me the story of how he learned the hard way to be prepared for a disaster. He told me that every night the administrative assistant of the congregation would back up the day’s work, financial records, bulletins, newsletter, and anything else that was done that day. She then put the back up next to the computer on her desk. This worked out very well until the night when a fire destroyed the church office, it took out the computer and the backup. After learning the hard way, he told me that once they rebuilt, he made sure there was a weekly computer backup that was kept off site.

Sadly, it is only after a disaster strikes, no matter what the type, that a faith community realizes it should have done something to prepare for a disaster. And often if a leader wants to encourage the faith community to prepare, if they find support in doing so, they are not sure where to look for resources.

Because of this, Lutheran Disaster Response has prepared a Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook that is free to download by anyone. To quote the guidebook, the manual “outlines a step-by-step process for congregations to create their unique preparedness plan.” It also provides information on the long-term recovery process, worship following a disaster, emotional and spiritual care, and links to other resources.

For those looking to start the conversation about preparedness in their faith community, here are five tips Lutheran Disaster Response offers:

Communication Strategy
Communication is essential in times of disaster, however, it may not always be as simple as a phone call. Power and telephone lines are often down after a disaster causing disruptions in communication. It is important that your faith community has a plan about how to communicate with one another when a disaster strikes. In the first few days following a disaster, there is a lot of chaos and rumors. Having a communication plan in place will help your faith community be aware of what is really happening. While faith communities often have home phone numbers, a list of cell phone numbers is essential and if the person can receive text message can be a valuable asset following a disaster. It is also helpful to have a “phone tree” where with just a few calls, the faith community leaders can disseminate information quickly. And of course, posting information on the faith community’s website is also a very good way to let folks know the status of the disaster recovery efforts.

Decision-Making Process
Having a written description of how decisions are made is essential to being prepared for a disaster. Having this in place will assist the congregation to move forward in its recovery efforts. On a day-to-day, basis, most decisions are made by the minister, a committee or the governing board. However, in a disaster situation, the minister may not be the most experienced to handle the rebuilding efforts. And they will be needed to provide spiritual and emotional care, especially if members of the faith community were directly impacted by the disaster. Along with the formal structures of decision making, look to your membership. Is there an insurance agent that can help navigate the process of making a claim? Is there a contractor who can help manage the rebuilding process? It is important to use the gifts in your faith community, especially following a disaster.

Inventory and Insurance
It is important to be aware of the church’s assets, important documents and insurance coverage long before a disaster strikes. A faith community needs to regularly review its insurance coverage. All too often, people find when they add the cost of the contents along with the building, they are underinsured. In order to speed up the claims process, it is recommended to take pictures of the worship space as well as other parts of the building. This is especially important if there are unique items such as statues, carvings or stained glass. Making a video of these items may be easier. Most smart phones have this capability, which only makes this process easier.

Emergency Operations
Any number of emergencies or disasters can happen when the building is in use by the faith community or others. Basically, plans need to be in place to do one of two things; shelter in place or evacuate.

If you look the next time you are a hotel or public buildings, notice how they post evacuation routes as well as designated shelter. Basic emergency plans and instructions should be posted prominently near light switches or doorways so that anyone can easily see how to evacuate and where to seek shelter without having to search for someone in charge. Many faith communities also find it helpful to have near entrances a map of the facility showing where the utility shut-offs are located as this will assist the first responders to know how to secure the building after a disaster.

Congregational Relationships and Involvement
When a disaster occurs, it is important that a community come together to take care of each other. If the faith community is not directly affected by a disaster, consider joining the community to provide temporary relief and even long term recovery assistance to those impacted by the disaster. Such opportunities may surface as requests from outside organizations, obvious needs of neighbors, awareness of members of the congregation, etc. Building relationships with disaster response agencies in your area and/or other faith-based organizations before a disaster will help your faith community mount efficient and effective responses addressing the actual needs of your community. And having a plan as to how you will respond in coordination with other community partners will allow your faith community to be more efficient in its efforts and insure there is no duplication of services.

An excerpt from Synod Congregations Use Social Media to Rally Response to Floods By: Rev. Dr. Joelle Colville-Hanson

In late August Decorah, Spillville, Elkader, and surrounding areas were hit with heavy rains that caused flash flooding.

The onslaught was swift and unexpected but Northeastern Iowa Synod congregation leaders and members were just as swift to respond with shelter, food, volunteers as well as working with Lutheran Services in Iowa to develop a relief fund for unmet needs.

A month later more rain caused the Cedar, Shell Rock, and
Wapsipinicon Rivers to flood the areas including Waverly, Janesville, Shell Rock, Clarksville, Plainfield, and Greene as well as the farms and hamlets in between.

Again local congregations sprang into action, providing volunteers to sandbag and clean up, meals to volunteers and donations of cleaning supplies.

Again, Social Media was crucial in getting the word out quickly to gather volunteers to respond.

read more…

These suggestions are by no means exhaustive; but they can help stimulate conversation about what else a faith community can do in order to prepared for a disaster. To learn more about Congregational preparedness, download the Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guide.

Originally Written for the Institute for Congregational Trauma and Growth (ICTG)

Michael Stadie is the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response – U.S.

Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for all affected by disasters, may God’s healing presence comfort them in their time of need.

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, Lutheran Disaster response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
• Follow us on Twitter.
• Visit our website at LDR.org
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts

On Wednesday, August 24, 2016, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Italy 65 miles north-east of Rome leaving hundreds confirmed dead and thousands injured. Aftershocks continued to hit the region making rescue and relief efforts difficult.

Did you know there is a Lutheran Church in Italy? The Chiesa Evangelica Luterana in Italia (The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy) is made up of about 7,000 members and is a fellow member of the Lutheran World Federation.

As a sign of solidarity, the ELCA, through Lutheran Disaster Response, sent a gift of $10,000 for the emergency relief efforts. The funds were directed through the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI) who have been lending its facilities and its own technical resources during this tragedy.

Upon receiving this news, of our gift, Heiner Bludau, Dean of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy and Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Turin, shared his gratitude, not only for the gift but for our concern and prayers.

“Thank you very much, this is a very concrete aid for the people in need! Please forward my deeply felt gratitude for this expression of solidarity in prayer but also in money to the responsible of the ELCA. The words of your prayer and the consciousness that in the United States in your congregations in this way you pray for us in Italy is a great comfort. And the money is a direct help for those who have lost everything. This is one of the ways in which God helps: Through you and me and those who realize first aid with the grant you approved.  God bless you, dear brothers and sisters!”

– Heiner Bludau, Dean of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy

Let us continue to hold the survivors of this earthquake in our prayers as rescue efforts continue.

Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for displaced persons around the world, may God’s healing presence comfort them in their time of need.

Give

Thanks to generous, undesignated donations, we are able to respond quickly to these kinds of crises. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where there is the greatest need.

Connect

To learn more about global migration and what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
• Follow us on Twitter.
• Visit our website at LDR.org
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.

While the ELCA was wrapping up our Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans, our neighbors, right there in Louisiana, were dealing with the fast rising waters of a flash flood. During the proceedings, Holly Schmitt, a member in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod rose to shine light on the flooding and offer prayer. In her prayer offering, she said, “Unfortunately, we are beginning to see what the ravishing effects of rain are doing to this area, once again.”

At the culmination of the flood, there were a total of 13 confirmed deaths, tens of thousands had been rescued and even more evacuated across southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. This flood came on the heels of several other floods that have hit the Gulf Coast region, starting earlier this spring.

Our coordinator, Jessica Vermilyea, Upbring’s Director for Disaster Response , is a very seasoned and well respected disaster coordinator in Louisiana. Beyond that, she is the chairperson of the Louisiana VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). In that capacity, she is the key person coordinating and collaborating with FEMA, all levels of state government officials, together with many voluntary organizations and ecumenical partners to address the relief needs of flood survivors. Through her and Upbring, Lutheran Disaster Response is already actively at work in Louisiana.

“Please hold the people of this great state [of Louisiana], and especially of the Gulf Coast region, in the palm of your loving hands. And let us all offer up our prayers to you, that they may be as safe as possible and have as many resources available to them as we can provide.”  – Holly Schmitt

We know that this will be a long road to recovery, and we will be there to provide support through every phase of this disaster recovery process.

Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for the people affected by flooding. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.

Give

Gifts to Gulf Coast Flooding will be used to assist those affected by floodwaters until the response is complete.

Volunteer

There is a desperate need for volunteers in Louisiana area. Help individuals and families get back in their homes by signing up to volunteer. For volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Jessica Vermilyea and visit http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/

• Email: jessica.vermilyea@upbring.org
• Phone: 504-376-9121

Connect

To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:

• Share this bulletin insertwith your congregation.
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook and follow @ELCALDR on Twitter.

Today is World Humanitarian Day (WHD). This is a day that highlights the work of humanitarian aid organizations and workers all across the globe. Theirs are the hands and feet on the ground during times of disaster, both natural and man-made. They bring God’s hope to those most vulnerable.

On this day, we also highlight the 130 million people are living in crisis. The United Nations is pushing their Agenda for Humanity. In it, the Secretary-General is calling on global leaders to commit to 5 core responsibilities:

• End and Prevent Conflict
  • 80% of all humanitarian needs are driven by conflict
• Respect Rules of War
  • 90% of people killed or injured by explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians
• Leave No One Behind
• Work Differently to End Need
  • 43% of people live in fragile situations. By 2030 that number is estimated to climb to 62%.
• Invest in Humanity

General Secretary Ban Ki Moon said, “I call upon global leaders to place at the forefront of all policies, strategies and decision-making.” As church, we are called to love our neighbors and to bear each other’s burdens. It is said that this is how we fulfill Christ’s law.

At Churchwide Assembly, the rev. Dan Rift, talked about communities that are experiencing crisis often feel like they aren’t noticed. He said, “Struggling with the aftermath, long after the headlines change, they wonder, ‘are we remembered?’” Humanitarian Aid Organizations and Workers are there to remind those affected by these crises that they are not alone.

Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for the people affected by disaster, may God’s healing presence comfort them in their time of need.

Give

Your undesignated gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used where the need is greatest.

Connect

To learn more about what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

• Visit our website at LDR.org
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
• Follow us on Twitter.

To learn more:

• World Humanitarina Day Website
• Visit the World Humanitarian Summit website
  • Chair’s Summary Report
• Report of the UN Secretary-General for the WHS
• Sustainable Development Goals

There is a very real crisis going on and it continues to go mostly unnoticed. Drought is impacting millions of people globally, with southern and eastern Africa the most heavily affected.

Many people are facing a multi-year drought, which has resulted in low crop production, rising food prices and household food insecurity. According to OCHA, the humanitarian impact of the drought has had effects that extend beyond food insecurity; increased levels of malnutrition and difficulty in accessing water have been reported as well as higher school drop-out rates, increased incidence of communicable diseases, child protection violations and rural to urban migration.

Through long standing relationships with companion churches and other trusted partners – we have hands and feet on the ground providing care, support and hope.

In southern Africa, through the Evangelical Lutheran Development Service, Lutheran Disaster Response is providing emergency aid in Malawi. Together, we are developing the capacity of households to become more disaster-resilient. Through the Malagasy Lutheran Church, we are providing immediate life-saving nutrition as well as livelihood support and psychosocial care, with an emphasis on reaching pregnant women, vulnerable children, people who are differently abled, and the elderly. In eastern Africa, areas most affected have been targeted with emergency response and cash-for-work programs. Together, these will help save lives and improve livelihoods, mitigating the effects of the drought.

Rev. Dan Rift said during the Lutheran Disaster Response report to the Churchwide Assembly, “we wonder aloud with our friends… Are we remembered?”

In leaving the assembly, will you remember our neighbors in Africa who are crying out for help. Will you tell a friend? Will you stand with us, our companion churches and partners as we accompany those most vulnerable and continue to bring God’s hope and healing to those who need it most.

Be a part of the response:

Pray
Continue to pray for the people affected by the drought, especially as they work to rebuild their lives. Pray for our companions and partners who are working alongside these communities.

Give
Your gifts are needed to bring lifesaving aid to those impacted by the drought. Gifts designated for “Africa Drought” will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those directly impacted until the response is complete. Gifts from people like you allow us to continue to accompany those in need.

Connect:
To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:

• Share this bulletin insert with your congregation.
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook and follow @ELCALDR on Twitter.

For More Information:

• Until All are Fed
• Needs of the Afflicted: Drought in Ethiopia

In late June, a flash flood swept through West Virginia leaving 23 confirmed dead, large numbers of homes destroyed, and others without power. A little over one month later many are still in the relief stage, while others are beginning the early stages of long-term recovery.

In a recent update with Sherri Shafer, our Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator and Executive Director of Community Lutheran Partners (CLP) in West Virginia, we learned that CLP was able to purchase 4 tractor loads worth of furniture to be distributed once rebuilding begins. We also learned that, in an effort to get back to a normal life, some had started to put up new drywall in their homes before their homes had had a chance to dry out. In the wake of this news, Thanks to CLP and a great deal from Wagner Meters in Washington State, CLP is providing 30 professional quality moisture meters (5 of which were donated by Wagner Meters) to the disaster affected communities. The meters will be under the supervision of WV VOAD and will be tools of great value not only in this disaster but in future disasters.

Along with other efforts, CLP is supporting local emotional and spiritual care efforts by deploying Pastors to emotional and spiritual care sights in West Virginia. In response to a recent Facebook post by Lutheran Disaster Response, Rev. Emilie Theobald-Rowlands, Pastor of Christ Lutheran in West Virginia, reflected on her experience at one of the sights:

… What I am able to tell you is that I have heard and seen stories of amazing resilience and hope; as well as heartache, deep grief and loss. Folks in the communities in these areas continue to work together; but the loss of homes, properties, businesses, livelihoods and for some the loss of loved ones is difficult. The recovery will not be a sprint, but one of long term recovery. Some of the folks I have met in this Center, do not have a safe place yet to stay…and if they are able to stay in their current homes, there is still not clean water or electricity in some parts of the area…mold is becoming a larger concern in many places… we are thankful to all who continue to reach out and help in many different ways through financial donations and volunteers…and I would encourage you to continue to pray for our folks here in West Virginia; and consider helping through Lutheran Disaster Response…in the months and even years ahead – there will be a need both financially and in terms of volunteering to help rebuild these communities. Many thanks for your continued prayers and support. – Rev. Emilie Theobald-Rowlands

Lutheran Disaster Response is thankful for the dedication and the witness of Rev. Theobald-Rowlands. We are also thankful for Sherri Shaffer and our affiliate Community Lutheran Partners, Bishop Matthew Riegel and the West Virginia- West Maryland Synod, as well as, Dale and Jean Peercy, Lutheran Disaster Response’s Trainers/Consultants, various other partners, and last but not least, all of you. Thanks to your donations, we can continue to bring God’s hope and healing to those most vulnerable in West Virginia.

Be a part of the response:

Pray

Continue to pray for the people affected by the flooding, may God’s healing presence comfort them in their time of need.

Give

Gifts to West Virginia Flooding designated under U.S. Flooding will be used to assist those directly impacted until the response is complete.

Connect

To learn more about what Lutheran Disaster Response is doing:

• Use this bulletin insert to share within your networks.
• Visit our website at LDR.org
• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook.
• Follow us on Twitter.

To learn more or sign up for volunteer opportunities:

• Log onto clp-online.org to download volunteer forms.
• Sign up through Volunteer WV https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/16Floods