"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40.
Living a safe distance from the coast, I remember feeling blessed but powerless as snapshots of devastation filled my television screen following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Three years later, the same emotions were heightened when Hurricane Ike showed up in my backyard. My family and property were spared, but thousands of people who were not as lucky arrived in my community looking for solace.
I found myself at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, where under the direction of Stewardship Pastor Greg Martin, troops of dedicated volunteers turned a gymnasium and a youth building (granted it's an awesome youth building) into a temporary home for our coastal neighbors.
Well-planned worship facilities are instrumental in reaching an easily distracted population, and it can be said that one soul saved makes all the capital campaigns and building committee meetings worthwhile. Likewise, if those same facilities can be used to shelter the lost, distraught, and frightened, then the investment is all the more worth it.
I recently spoke with Greg Martin, as well as Rowland Hall, Community Impact Pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, Mississippi, and Mike Womack, Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. All three gentlemen emphasized the importance of people and planning when positioning your church's facilities as a support for emergency situations.
"Our primary goal was outreach of course," says Martin. "So it took more than just the facility, we had a very involved congregation that viewed the effort as ministry."
A dedicated crew of volunteers is indispensable, as operating as a shelter is a 24/7 commitment. "When we become active as a shelter I send out a mass e-mail that lists our material, monetary and volunteer needs, and I know I'll be overwhelmed by the response," says Hall.
Hall, who oversees nine shelters and has positioned Broadmoor as a conduit for disaster relief in the Jackson, Mississippi-metro area, organizes his volunteers into separate teams that oversee specific areas of the support effort. For instance, one team handles check-in, another handles food service, and so on. "This type of outreach takes a lot of resources and people," he says.
Hall and Martin both stress the importance of planning, as well. "You have to plan ahead and consider every ‘what-if scenario' possible," says Martin.
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Broadmoor held loose dialogue with the American Red Cross about serving as a shelter, but had no plans or procedures in place when its doors opened to host Gulf Coast evacuees. "It was definitely a trial by fire situation. Katrina was extreme," says Hall. "We wanted to demonstrate Christ's love, but at the same time had to be practical, keep people safe, and enforce rules and guidelines."
Before committing to this type of service, Hall recommends that leaders contemplate three areas:
Why does your church want to do this? What are your expectations?
How far (how long) is your church willing to take it? Serving as a hurricane shelter is not a 48-hour gig, evacuees may stay for weeks before they're able to return home or be moved to a long-term location.
Does your church have the resources? It takes space, communication tools, and money.
From a facilities standpoint, there are various considerations. Determining overall capacity, handling traffic flow, combating boredom, accommodating various age groups, and meeting personal care needs all have to be addressed. Mobberly had no showers on its campus during Hurricane Ike, and Broadmoor had only three in a building under construction during Katrina, but through good planning and partnering with the community, both churches were able to shuttle evacuees to local schools for showers.
"Our building wasn't designed to be a shelter, but we took the good and the bad and did the best we could," says Hall.
In Mobberly's favor were its gym with attached kitchen facility, large youth building, and wide-open entrance areas - a combined square footage of 20,000. "Entry spaces have to be large enough to facilitate registration, and there just has to be room for people to eat and sleep, for children to play ..." Martin shares.
Similarly, Broadmoor's 10,000 square foot gym and recreation building provided the space to spread out and accommodate different activities. Churches should also allow outdoor space for evacuees with pets, and various smaller spaces that can be used for games and activities or by nursing mothers.
If your facilities won't allow for the operation of a shelter, there are plenty of other ways to lend a hand. "Any church with a fellowship hall can serve meals. They can also partner with other churches or the Salvation Army and serve as a food pantry or storage site," Womack says.
During and following a hurricane, even areas far inland can suffer long-term power outages. When that happens, as it did with Mobberly, other churches can step in with generators, or they can prepare meals off site and carry them in. Getting involved before the storm and having plans in place is the key.
"Contacting the American Red Cross is an excellent first step," says Womack. "They will provide training, insurance, and make sure your facility meets qualifications. Then, following qualification, your local Red Cross chapter will add your church to a network of emergency services."
For more information and insights on this topic be sure to check out the feature on natural disaster preparation and recovery in the September/October print issue of Worship Facilities. Just remember, the smallest effort on your part could make a world of difference for someone who has lost everything.
