Diocesan Disaster Preparedness and Response Program

Disaster Preparedness and Response Manual / [Diocesan Disaster Preparedness and Response Program]
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
Canon for Congregational Life
The Rev. Canon Charles D. LaFond, Program Coordinator
Diocesan Disaster Preparedness and Response Program Manual
A manual and appendices set for use by churches of the diocese for disaster awareness, preparedness and response. Please keep copies of this manual with all clergy, wardens and all Congregation Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordinators (CDPR Coordinators)

Diocesan Disaster Preparedness and Response Program

The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

I.Introduction

A Disaster can be anything which causes human suffering or creates human needs which its victims are unable to alleviate through their own power. A disaster may include:

1 / The Rev. Canon Charles LaFond, Canon for Congregational Life
Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordinator, 63 Green Street,
Concord, NH 03301, 603-344-2711,
Disaster Preparedness and Response Manual / [Diocesan Disaster Preparedness and Response Program]

Flu

Blizzard

Hurricane

Earthquake

Tornado

Storm flood

Drought

Disease

Fire

Explosion

Building collapse

Transportation accident

Civil disorder

Terrorist attack

A Catastrophic Disaster is an event which overwhelms all systems for an extended period of time.

A Disaster Cycle includes four phases (occurring in differing orders depending on the disaster or its severity):

preparation – development of plans, training personnel, testing plans
response – immediate assistance to save lives, reduce suffering and assess damage
long term recovery – response moves into recovery as some normalcy returns
mitigation – reduces effects of potential disaster

As you know, the Episcopal House of Bishops passed a resolution at the 2009 General Convention, D063, that all dioceses get ready for the return of swine flu by this fall:

Resolved, The House of Bishops concurring That the 76th General Convention direct each diocese to review existing emergency preparedness plans for appropriate response to pandemic disease by the fall of 2009; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention encourage congregations to seek information on readiness for and instructions regarding pandemic disease and moral principles regarding distribution of resources in health emergencies.

Along with the encouragement of our churches to install alcohol-based hand sanitizers in the hallways at key points in church buildings, the Diocese of New Hampshire has produced a disaster preparedness and response manual which can be used to raise awareness regarding the need for disaster preparedness and a series of suggestions for disaster response. Some of the appendices are used by generous permission of other non-profit agencies including Caritas, The National Presbyterian Church, The Government of the United States of America, the Department of Health and Human Services, The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, The Episcopal Diocese of New York, The Anglican Diocese of Lancaster, and Catholic Charities, Inc. The manual is copyright 2009 by the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and may not be reproduced without permission. Many thanks go to Project Grace, the ECUSA web site and the Department of Health for contributions to the appendices of this manual.

II.Preparation

A church which finds itself unprepared during a disaster will inevitably miss valuable opportunities to minister to human need both within their congregation and surrounding it. A church without basic emergency communications plans and ready contact information along with basic scenario information may end up doing more harm than good in its rush to work in a disaster among other churches which have done this kind of preparation. Contacts made with Red Cross, government and state emergency leaders in times of preparation and relative calm will create the kind plan which will contribute rather than add to a crisis.

In the wake of a disaster, there are tremendous opportunities for ministry which are only possible when everyone knows the plan and has the contact information needed to act among and reach out to those in need.

Churches are in a powerful position to respond to the needs of individuals in ways that other organizations may not be in a position to help. In the recent Katrina disaster, churches which had a strategic plan and knew how to reach the people in their parish were the churches which were able to help both themselves and others. Churches which were hit unprepared were scattered and disconnected for many weeks and were simply absent from the community in which they lived.

Some churches will find themselves in a position simply to reach out systematically to their congregants so that no one is left alone in a disaster. Other churches may be in a position to gather teams, provide services or establish new and needed ministries including child care, information services, and shelter to homeless, distribution of food and clothing or pastoral care. However, without a plan, the parish will scatter like the balls of a pool table hit by a crisis.

In the event that a disaster hits one ear and leaves another area unscathed, such as happened in the tornadoes of the autumn of 2008, even the smallest parishes can link up with existing disaster response agencies to provide service to those in need. Services like transportation, pastoral care and distribution of supplies can be done well only if the coordination of such services have been set up in advance through good communications. In a disaster, the secondary disaster is the wave of those who, though well-meaning- tend to rush in to try to help simply in a desperate effort to be part of the drama. Clearly established order created by planning for a disaster in peaceful times, will create a system which will both assist while also creating systems which clarify roles and ensure that leaders are chosen for their ability rather than for their enthusiasm.

III.TheDisaster Preparedness and Response Leadership

The Point Person
The Bishop of New Hampshire is the Chief Executive Officer of the diocese in the event of a disaster. The Bishop is the only spokesperson of the diocese unless he designates another to serve this function. All media inquiries are sent to the Bishop unless that function is designated. It is essential in a crisis to have only one person, trained in speaking to the media, who speaks for the organization and makes key decisions in the administration of response management. The Canon to the Ordinary will speak on behalf of the Bishop and may be a secondary designated spokesperson.
Similarly, in a parish, the rector, priest-in-charge or vicar is the Chief Executive Officer in the event of a disaster and is responsible for both response management and public speaking if speaking for one’s parish. Ideally, calls from the media should be referred to the Bishop’s office unless the caller is referring to local issues.

The Leadership
At the Diocesan level, a committee chaired by a designee of the Bishop will manage day to day preparedness work and will be the management point person for the disaster plan in the event of an emergency. As of this writing, the following person is that designee:
The Rev. Canon Charles LaFond, Canon for Congregational Life
At the parish level, a committee or at least a lay manager (“Parish Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordinator”) should be recruited, trained and charged with assisting clergy and Wardens in the event of a disaster. In an emergency, there will be a temptation for many people to express their anxiety by trying to help. It is essential that the decision maker and the manager are clearly defined roles so that there does not become varied and too many leaders – all expressing directions at the same time and to differing ends. Some of the tasks which will be relegated to the Parish Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordinator may include
Collection and processing of a survey of parishioner’s gifts and talents
Provision of training
Damage assessment of the physical plant
Management of reserve supplies
Management of Contact Lists
Liaison work with other local churches and associations (Red Cross, Governmental Agencies, etc.)
Planning for hospitality ministries of the parish (ie: what ministries is our parish best situated to provide to the local community in the event of various disaster scenarios and what do we need to have on hand for such scenarios?)
What plan exists and who is responsible in the event of the need to curb vandalism in the event of an extended time away from the parish buildings?
Authoring of a Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan
Recruitment of a Parish Response Team which are the first respondents to an emergency under the direction of the Parish Disaster Preparedness and Response Coordinator.

The Parish Response Team

The Parish Response Team may be as many as two for a small parish or 20 for a very large parish. The Parish Response Team should not be large and should be a recruited body of people recruited for their skills and level-headedness.

The Parish Response Team should be annually recruited for service so that members do not forget they are members. At least annually and possibly quarterly, the team should meet to review plans and manage preparedness. Duties of the team may include the following:

Develop various expertise on different disaster scenario

Designate as liaison to various agencies

Be responsible for various aspects of preparedness (food, water, safety, etc)

Attend diocesan training events

Enlist volunteers for various tasks based on ability and skill set

Refresh volunteer skills survey information

Multiply bases for data

Manage telephone chains

Manage evacuation of families which may need help.

Manage oversight of the elderly and sick

Encourage family Disaster Preparedness and Planning

IV.Parish Opportunities in a Disaster

A parish can provide valuable services in a disaster including mitigation, readiness, warning services (ie; church bell) evacuation leadership, safe-place provision, food, water and medicine provision and pastoral support. The extent to which a parish is able to provide valuable services is the extent to which a parish is well organized and prepared.

Because our buildings are well –known to many members and leaders of the community and are so often located in town-centers, the parish is often a valuable center in which to be a central place for information, counseling and distribution. In order for such opportunities to become realities, however, advance planning with town leaders would need to be conducted and the agreement and investment of the parish would need to be encouraged and secured in advance.

A list of other opportunities might include some of the following:

Identification of sources for valuable services in the community including counsel, repair, tree management, loans and grants.

Lists of qualified people to provide child and elder care

Meetings with local medical facilities to coordinate planning

Provision of space for sleeping or extended stay

Provision of home sharing for victims

Provision of ministries such as food or clothing sorting, storage and distribution

Provision of work or housing space for out-of-town volunteers

Provision of transportation

Organizing of clean-up or repair crews

V.Church Physical Plant

Unless otherwise designated, the Junior Warden is responsible for the physical plant of a church and is responsible for disaster preparedness of the church buildings and property and should consider the following:

Work with The Parish Response Team to establish what can and cannot be provided for in various spaces.
Example: a parish with one sink and toilet should not be providing long-term housing for families displaced from their homes but could be just right as a distribution center if there is storage space adjacent to a large hall which is handicapped accessible.
Have access to key contact lists of people who, in a disaster, will need access to the building.
Be clear as to chain of command. In a disaster, a warden may get many calls from anxious parishioners eager to help by planning all sorts of initiatives on their own. Their heart is in the right place however their actions will only add to the crisis. The person responsible for the physical plant of the parish needs to be clear as to what programs and services (if any) the parish (clergy, wardens and vestry or Bishop’s Committee) have decided to conduct and how the building will be used for that work.
In the vent that the church is being used for some disaster ministry, the clergy or Warden will need to be sure that key agencies of macro administration (the diocese, the town manager, the Red Cross and Salvation Army, etc) know that this service is being done so that they can direct you to valuable partnerships and inform you as to if and where such services are being duplicated. The secondary crisis of a disaster is always those who are acting as solo-super heroes in order to participate in the drama. The tertiary crisis is always a lack of inter-agency collaboration and information-sharing.

VI.Training

Annually, on November 2ndbeginning in 2010 from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm a diocesan training event will occur (a central location to be announced annually) which will train new members of vestries, new clergy and new leadership in disaster response teams regarding disaster preparedness and response. This training will be conducted by diocesan staff assigned to disaster response and preparedness leadership and will involve no charge.

VII.NH Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NH VOAD)

The New Hampshire VOAD, or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, is a statewide partnership of nonprofits, the faith based community, private industry and state government agencies to restore homes for people affected by natural disaster who are uninsured or are under insured, so they are safe, sanitary and functional.

The NH VOAD coordinates with its members to provide assistance to those who need it the most by prioritizing those affected by disaster. The response and recovery from a disaster varies greatly from disaster to disaster but the goal remains the same, to better coordinate efforts to reduce duplication and to begin the long-term recovery process quickly, efficiently and effectively. If your organization would like to join the NH VOAD or if you have any questions please email the VOAD coordinator at or by calling 603-271-7205. For additional information about VOADs please visit

COAD is a local extension of the statewide New Hampshire Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

If you have any questions the following local contacts would be happy to help orprovide youwith a copy of the NH COAD Presentation:
Greater Manchester COAD
Lisa Michaud, ExecutiveDirector
Greater Manchester Red Cross
Office: 603-624-4307
Email:

Monadnock COAD
Ellen Avery, Director of Community Building,
Monadnock United Way
Office: 603-352-4209
Email:

Greater Portsmouth COAD
Colleen Fitzpatrick, Emergency Services Director
Great Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross
Office: 603-766-5440
Email:

Greater Strafford County COAD
Janett Plaistead, Community Representative
Strafford County Community Action Program
Office: 603-755-9305
Email:

NOTES:

CONTACT FORM

Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

Disaster Preparedness and Response Ministry

Church Name______

Pastors Name______

Address______

City______State______Zipcode______

Telephone______Fax______

Email______

Date Team Formed___/___/_____

TEAM LEADER

Name______

Address______

City______State______Zipcode______

Telephone______Fax______

CellPhone______

Email______

TEAM MEMBERS

Name______

Additional Community involvement (check all that apply)

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)

Medical Reserve Corp (MRC)

Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)

Project SAFE (shut-ins assistance for emergencies)

Emergency Backup Shelters/Triage center

EmergencyDistributionCenter (food, ice, medical supplies etc.)

Disaster Preparedness Summary Guide for Start-up

The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

Ministry of Disaster Response Preparedness and Communications

Contact: The Rev. Canon Charles LaFond, 603-344-2711,

1SPIRITUAL WELLNESS FOR CLERGY: Maintain strong prayer, meditation, Sabbath and rest/wellness routines so that clergy are working out of a center of spiritual strength, discernment and availability to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

2EUCHARIST: Develop and implement plans for how your parish will conduct Eucharistic distribution of the elements (wine and bread) as well as the management of the passing of the Peace. Each parish must make its own decisions about the passing of the Peace. The Bishop, in consultation with medical and planning leaders in Pandemic Response has suggested the following regarding Eucharist:

“For the time being please remind communicants before communionthat reception of communion in one kind is complete communion. Clergy should please be aware that intinction is more dangerous for contamination than drinking directly from the cup. Fingers are more likely to be in contact with the virus than are the lips. If an infected person dips too deep and touches the wine, then the intinction cup is more likely contagious than the chalice. Left-over consecrated wine, in either the chalice or intinction cup, should be disposed of in appropriate ways (through a piscina or poured into the soil), rather than consumed by the priest at the end of communion. There may be more left-over wine during this period when unexpected numbers of people decline to receive the wine.”

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop

3CLERGY - START WITH THE BASICS - CLEAN HANDS*: Clergy should please consider using Purell or some other anti-bacterial, alcohol-based, direct agent for cleaning your hands while at the altar at the time normally reserved for the liturgical symbolic washing of hands with water and lavabo. Clergy should also consider using Purell immediately after shaking hands at the entrance and departing of congregants. Parishes may wish to purchase Purell or other similar products for placement in public places and meeting rooms. The Diocese of New Hampshire is currently researching the group-purchase of Purell wall dispensers to be made available to parishes.