« Social Media Agreements—A New Normal? | Main | Cyber Crime: Coming to a Church Near You? »

July 7, 2011

Creating a Disaster Relief Ministry

Churches care for those facing disasters in their communities.

 by Lindsey Learn


Few will argue that 2011 has been a tragic season for natural disasters. The U.S. has been hit hard by tornadoes, fires, and floods. States like Missouri, Arizona, and North Dakota are recovering from (and still facing) the worst natural threats to their land in decades. Local churches have been quick on their feet to care for their overwhelmed communities during this time.

CreatingDisasterReliefMinis.jpg

In June, Mike Johnson, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Minot, North Dakota, quickly responded to his community by helping townspeople evacuate their homes in the flood zone, according to FoxNews.com. And the Baptist Press reported that in Arizona, where a forest fire rages, the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention developed a disaster relief station, which included showers and a kitchen crew, for evacuees.

While some churches are forced to pull a disaster relief team together at the last minute, others have teams in place, ready to help at a moment’s notice. For churches looking to update existing strategies, or for ones starting a disaster-relief ministry from scratch, here are a few helpful tips to keep volunteers safe:

Buddy up. Always work through an organization that has experience with disaster relief, such as the American Red Cross or a denominational program. This prevents overlapping assistance, gets to people who might be missed, and increases efficiency.

Be safe, not sorry. Thoroughly train volunteers about safety measures they should follow in a disaster relief situation. This could include everything from using a chainsaw properly to purifying drinking water. The American Red Cross and many other relief organizations offer training courses for volunteers.

Dress for success. You'll need sturdy work shoes—not sneakers—to avoid puncture wounds and twisted ankles when walking over debris. Take a couple of pairs of work gloves, plus disposable facemasks. Bandanas can serve as facemasks or as cooling headbands when dipped in water.

Take the right tools. For floods, you'll need flat shovels, buckets, mops, and rags. After tornadoes or hurricanes, you'll need chain saws, rakes, and brooms. Following earthquakes you'll need shovels, crowbars, and picks. For all disasters, take a basic tool set with hammer, pliers, socket set, and screwdrivers. Also take an electrical tester and a fire extinguisher. If you have room, take a wheelbarrow or containers to carry debris.

Identify yourself. Before leaving home, contact the organization you plan to assist. Ask for a vehicle decal and personal identification that identifies you as a part of the relief effort. Often, only authorized personnel are allowed to enter disaster areas.

These tips first appeared on ChurchSafety.com. For more information on developing a disaster relief strategy, download the training resource Serving as a Disaster Relief Team.

Share thisshare this

Posted by Lindsey Learn on July 7, 2011 8:00 AM

Related Tags: Communication, community, disaster, emergency, leadership, outreach, relief, Teamwork, training, volunteers

Post a comment:





Verification (needed to reduce spam):

Tags

see more...

April 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          

resources