It is never too early to begin preparing if you find you may be in the path of a hurricane and flooding. As we pray for those in the path of Hurricane Irma and prepare for the possibility of the storm hitting North Carolina, here are some ways to help you and your family get ready and stay safe.
Before The Storm
1. Create a Disaster Kit
Basic items for Disaster Kits include water, non-perishable food items, a flashlight, first-aid kit and more. Learn how to create a Disaster Kit for your church and members in the video below.
2. Have a Disaster Plan
If Hurricane Irma hits your area, you’ll want to have a Disaster Plan. Use this template from ready.gov to create one for you and share with the members of your congregation.
See our Disaster Response Responsibility Grid to know the role you have in a disaster.
We also have a Local Church Preparation Checklist you can use to make sure you know who is taking care of certain tasks at your location.
3. Get Ready to Contact Your Members
Have your church phone tree or another contact system easily accessible so you can check on your members in the event of a disaster. You may want to print it out in case you lose power.
We encourage the use of the Disaster Info Card to follow up with members after the disaster and encourage members to include non-members, especially seniors or those with disabilities who may need to be checked on following the disaster. These cards could be handed out Sunday morning or inserted into bulletins.
4. Prepare an Inventory of Church Property
Brotherhood Mutual has a Building/Property checklist that can help you inventory your church property for insurance purposes.
Pastors, fill out our Disaster Response Facilities Survey to establish what facilities and resources are available for Disaster Response.
5. Prepare UMCOR Cleaning & Hygiene Kits
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to Hurricane Harvey relief. We have sent 1750 Cleaning Buckets, and two pallets of Hygiene Kits to assist the victims in Texas. Please continue to gather supplies for these important relief kits.
We will let you know the best drop off points in each District as we track Hurricane Irma. We pray for minimal impact no matter where it lands, but someone somewhere will need these supplies.
After The Storm
6. Contact Your Members
Use your phone tree or Disaster Info Cards to check the safety of your congregation and community.
7. Contact Your District Disaster Coordinator
If you have any damage from Hurricane Irma, contact your District Disaster Response Coordinator as soon as possible. Go ahead and save your District Coordinator’s contact information now in case you do not have electricity after the storm.
Other Resources
- Building an Emergency Kit and Other Necessary Supplies
- Doing a Home Inventory
- Emergency Preparation List
- National Hurricane Center Flier
- Things to Think About as a Storm Approaches
- Water Purification Guidelines
- WRAL’s information on Preparing For A Storm
If you have any specific questions, contact our Disaster Response Call Center at 888-440-9167 or disasterresponse@nccumc.org.