Lutheran Disaster Response > Rebuilding Lives

Spring Flooding still a possibility
An update from Lutheran Disaster Response

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Communities in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota have already experienced serious flooding this spring, and other communities throughout the Midwest could be affected by flooding later this spring and summer.  When disaster strikes, what can you do to be Lutheran Disaster Response for your congregation or your community?

Preparing your home

Everyone should visit Ready.Gov, a site hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides helpful information about the steps of putting together a home preparedness kit and your family disaster plan.  And if your home is located in an area prone to flooding, visit FloodSmart, the Web site of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Preparing your congregation

The following are three easy steps that every congregation should take to prepare for potential hazards:

1)  Identify a back-up location, where your congregation could gather for worship or prayer, in the event that your facility is either inaccessible or damaged in some way.

2)  Backup all important church documents and directories, and have copies stored in an off-site location for use in the event that the original files are lost or damaged.

3)  Identify a member, or a team of members, to serve as the primary point of contact in the event of a disaster.  Then, develop and distribute a congregational phone tree, including cell phones or alternative locations, so that the entire membership can be easily located and accounted for after something has happened.

Any time that Lutherans take steps to prepare or to serve in the face of a disaster, they are being Lutheran Disaster Response for their communities.  Thank you... working together, we are more resilient together.