Principles
Disaster recovery efforts are church welfare activities with a public affairs component, and fall within the fourfold purpose of the church of “caring for the poor and needy.” (Handbook 2, 2.2“In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances.” (LDS.org)). The purpose of disaster recovery efforts is to restore the hope of survivors by ministering to their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs; and to give service. (See Handbook 2, 6.1“The purposes of Church welfare are to help members become self-reliant, to care for the poor and needy, and to give service.” (LDS.org); D&C 81:5“Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” (LDS.org); Mosiah 18:8-9“…and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—” (LDS.org)).
Serving
Procedures
Serving
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Proselytizing: The purpose of disaster recovery efforts is to restore the hope of survivors by ministering to their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs; and to give service. (See Handbook 2, 6.1“The purposes of Church welfare are to help members become self-reliant, to care for the poor and needy, and to give service.” (LDS.org); D&C 81:5“Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” (LDS.org); Mosiah 18:8-9“…and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—” (LDS.org)). Recovery efforts are non-proselytizing activities. While survivors should never feel pressured to hear the gospel as a condition of receiving service, gospel-centered discussions and prayer are often appropriate as volunteers strive to restore survivors’ hope by ministering to their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
Follow-up: In the weeks or first few months after the disaster, bishops and stake presidents should work with ward and stake councils to consider following up with those whom they served. Disasters disrupt the community fabric, and many survivors need support long after the disaster has been physically cleaned up. Work with ward councils to develop a follow-up plan which could include asking members or the missionaries to send a note or Christmas card; stopping by to check on them; or inviting them to an activity.
Safety: See the Safety page for information on General Principles and Procedures, Personal Protection, Home and Basement Safety, and Tree Removal Safety.
Types of Activities: Opportunities to perform volunteer labor include listening and ministering to survivors, clearing debris, tearing out walls in flooded homes (“muck-out”), cutting up reasonably-sized trees and branches, providing emotional and spiritual care to survivors, food drives, assessing needs, parking and logistics, first aid, child care, communications, remote 2-1-1 phone center volunteering, support center volunteering, and assisting city and state officials. Log on to Crisis Cleanup to claim work orders.
Liability, Risk, and Insurance: Relief activities “should involve minimal risk of injury or illness to participants. During activities, leaders make every effort to ensure safety. By planning effectively and following safety precautions, leaders can minimize the risk of accidents. Activities should include appropriate training and proper supervision. They should also be appropriate for the participants’ age and maturity. Leaders should be prepared for emergencies that may occur. They should also know in advance how to contact local law enforcement and emergency services.” (Handbook 2, 13.6.20“Activities should involve minimal risk of injury or illness to participants. Activities should also involve minimal risk of damage to property. During activities, leaders make every effort to ensure safety. By planning effectively and following safety precautions, leaders can minimize the risk of accidents. Activities should include appropriate training and proper supervision. They should also be appropriate for the participants’ age and maturity. Leaders should be prepared for emergencies that may occur. They should also know in advance how to contact local law enforcement and emergency services.” (LDS.org); 13.6.25.1“Church units may not sponsor the following activities. Leaders, parents, and others who plan or participate in Church activities should be aware of these restrictions. 1. Activities that have a high risk of injury or illness or that require unusual expense or travel (see 13.6.20 and 13.6.24).” (LDS.org)). During relief activities, an individual’s automobile, health, and personal liability insurance is primary, and the Church’s insurance is secondary (See Handbook 2, 13.6.9“In many parts of the world, health and accident insurance coverage is available to Church members through employer-sponsored, personal, or government programs. Where such coverage is available, members are responsible to access all available benefits provided through it if they incur an injury during a Church activity. In the United States and Canada, the Church Activity Insurance Program provides secondary medical and dental benefits and specific death and dismemberment benefits. This program is primarily designed to supplement, not replace, a person’s own health and accident insurance.” (LDS.org); 13.6.24“When feasible, Church groups should use commercial transportation that is licensed and is protected by liability insurance. When Church groups travel in private passenger vehicles, each vehicle should be in safe operating condition, and each person should use a seat belt. Each driver should be a licensed, responsible adult. All vehicles and drivers should be covered with reasonable amounts of automobile liability insurance.” (LDS.org)).
Duration of Relief Efforts: Coordinated recovery efforts are anticipated to end after approximately 8 weeks post-disaster. Your stake’s start and end dates may differ.
Engagements do not generally last more than eight weeks because volunteers reach physical exhaustion while balancing disaster service with family and professional responsibilities. Teams should rotate to avoid exhaustion. Volunteers should pace themselves and be self-reliant while serving.
Experience has shown the following pattern:
- Week 1: Large numbers of volunteers begin helping neighbors on the local or ward level. By the end of the week, the stake has organized hundreds or a thousand volunteers to assist. The full extent of the damage is unknowable. Visiting stakes have also organized, but a combination of shell-shocked municipalities and unknown damage make it difficult to direct them to service opportunities. We operate at about 20% of capacity.
- Week 2: Local and visiting stakes are well-organized in the thousands. Local volunteers remain excited and energized. However, many shell-shocked municipalities refuse to let anyone in to help. Many visiting stakes are unable to assist. We operate at about 35% of capacity.
- Week 3: Adrenaline has worn off, and fatigue begins to set in. Shell-shocked local municipalities open their doors for the first time. The full extent of the damage is ascertained. This is a good time to bring in reinforcements from outside stakes and begin rotating local teams. We operate at about 75% of capacity.
- Week 4: The full weight of recovery efforts rests on volunteers, ward, and stake councils. Volunteers’ motivation largely overcomes fatigue, which begins to be severe. We operate at 100% of capacity, but capacity will diminish with time.
- Week 5: Week 5 is typically the tipping point where fatigue begins to overcome volunteers’ motivation. At this point, it is essential to clearly communicate an end date to service, or “finish line.” Volunteers are more likely to sprint to the finish line than run a never-ending marathon.
- Week 6: Total capacity drops substantially due to fatigue and personal responsibilities. Service often reaches a natural end due to holiday disruptions or changing weather after this point. Service opportunities also become increasingly difficult to find, as the people who request assistance at this point are often less likely to show up at the appointed time.
- Week 7: A few superstar teams continue to work tirelessly while most people are no longer able to perform weekly service.
- Week 8: In general, it is very difficult to continue service beyond Week 8 without taking a hiatus. Seasons begin to change; holiday disruptions occur; mold growth increases; survivors become less reliable; family and personal responsibilities can no longer be ignored.
Age Requirements: Members of the bishopric or stake presidency determine to what extent youth under age 14 may participate in relief activities. Leaders consider such factors as the nature of the activity, and the maturity of the participants. (See Handbook 2, 13.6.14“Members of the bishopric or stake presidency determine to what extent youth under age 14 may participate in other activities. Leaders consider such factors as late hours, the subject of the discussion, the nature of the activity, and the maturity of the participants.” (LDS.org)). Parents or guardians should be informed and give consent when youth participate in relief activities (Handbook 2, 13.6.13“Parents or guardians should be informed and give consent when youth participate in a Church activity. Written consent is necessary if an activity involves travel outside the local area (as determined by local leaders) or staying overnight. Leaders may also request written consent for other activities when they feel it is appropriate. Parents and guardians give this consent by signing the Parental or Guardian Permission and Medical Release form. The person who leads the activity should have a signed form for each participant for each activity that requires written consent.” (LDS.org)).
While not official church policy, experience has underscored the value of the following guideline: Unless directed otherwise by your bishop or stake president, youth under 18 must be supervised by an adult. Youth 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent. Children may not participate in relief efforts. Always keep youth away from dangerous situations and chainsaws.
Team Size: Ideal muck-out and debris removal team size varies between 5-40 people, depending on the amount of work. Chainsaw teams should have 4-5 workers per chainsaw, to haul cut wood.
Visiting Stakes: Experience has shown that at first, affected stake presidents may decline offers of help. Help from outside stakes is often most helpful starting after about week three. At week three the scope of the damage becomes apparent, local municipalities begin to request help, and local members begin to reach exhaustion. After a large or regional disaster, visiting stakes should be prepared to serve starting on or before week three.
Mormon Helping Hands T-Shirts: All volunteers should wear Mormon Helping Hands T-shirts or vests. Members should keep and re-use t-shirts. Vests should be returned to the stake and re-used.
To preserve the safety of survivors and the good name of the Church, volunteers who wear the Mormon Helping Hands yellow vests must be known and trusted by church leaders and members. While Mormon Helping Hands volunteers need not be members of the Church, church leaders should not solicit large numbers of spontaneous volunteers from the community.
Sample Equipment Checklist: Volunteers should bring their own equipment whenever practicable, and should always serve self-sufficiently. Consider bringing the following items, as appropriate:
- Food and water for the day
- Sunscreen
- GPS & Phone
- Personal first aid kit
- Hand sanitizer or wipes
- Work boots
- Rubber boots
- N-95 dusk masks
- Eye protection
- Plastic ice fishing sled or wheelbarrow
- Shovel- square for scraping, spade for digging
- Dry wall saw
- Utility knife
- Crow and pry bars
- Many large, thick contractor garbage bags
- Battery-powered lanterns or head-mounted flashlights
- Large brooms
- For chainsaw operators: Face shields, ear protection, bar oil, 2-cycle oil, sharpened chains, and gas.
- Other appropriate materials
Food & Water: Volunteers should bring food, water, and snacks. While we discourage homeowners from spending a lot of money, volunteers may gratefully accept meals or drinks if provided by the homeowner.
Donations: Managing unsolicited donations is commonly referred to as “the disaster after the disaster.” Donations from members or the public are often used, unsorted, dirty, in disrepair, may not meet the need at hand, may not be legal for shelters to use, and require a substantial number of volunteers to sort and clean. Church leaders and members should follow the guidelines in Donations, Solicitations and Offers (.docx). Church leaders who receive unsolicited donations should do the best they can.
The Church does not rent warehouses. Members with donations management and warehousing expertise may also volunteer through other VOAD partners, such as the Seventh Day Adventists.
Money Donations: Many grateful homeowners will want to make a donation to the Church. Please do not take donations. Sometimes it is appropriate to suggest, “We don’t accept money, but we do take payment in the form of hugs, thank-you notes, and hand-shakes.” If a person insists on making a money donation, encourage them to donate to a local charity of their choice, such as the Girls & Boys Club, a food pantry, or Salvation Army. If they insist upon donating to the Church, please tell them that you are not authorized to take money, but they can make a donation to the Bishop at the local ward building on Sunday. Please refer to Donations, Solicitations and Offers (.docx) for more information.
Late Service Requests: Even after all service requests have been completed, more will surface as people return to their homes. While your stake is under no obligation to perform any further assistance, please counsel with your stake council to determine what, if any, response your stake will have when local municipalities ask for additional assistance after you and your volunteers think everything is “done.”
The following two graphs from the 2012 New Jersey Derecho storm cleanup illustrate this point: Roughly 66% of the total requests occurred in the first 1 ½ weeks. An additional 33% of requests filtered in over 4 ½ weeks:
Public Affairs: Disaster recovery work provides an opportunity to build relationships with city and county leaders, as well as religious and community leaders in the areas in which you serve. Depending on your stake’s public affairs goals, you may also consider asking the local newspaper to highlight the service you’ve performed.
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Support Centers: Stake presidents should establish support centers as necessary to stage equipment and assist with recovery effort communications. Support centers should be located in meetinghouses as close to the service areas as practicable, taking into consideration proximity to major roads, accessibility, availability of communications infrastructure, and ability to maintain equipment.
How to Get Work Orders: The Church is using Crisis Cleanup to coordinate relief efforts with all responding stakes and other recovery organizations. ALL team leaders and authorized volunteers should receive your stake’s username and passcode, and log into Crisis Cleanup to claim work orders and report completion. Passcodes should not be shared with unauthorized individuals or persons not volunteering with the stake.
Start Time: Call the resident to arrange a time to work when he or she may be present. Be considerate of neighbors who may not want to hear chainsaws at 7:30am.
Absent Residents: Always call the resident to arrange a time to work when he or she may be present. Never perform work without the homeowner or resident present unless the work is very minor, does not require entry into the home or back yard, and poses no risk to property. Examples of such work might include moving small fallen branches to the curb or raking leaves on the front lawn.
Homeowner Consent and Release: Homeowner consent is always required before performing service. Consent may be written (e.g. in the form of a signed release) or evident from the circumstances (e.g. their presence and oversight during the work).
The Crisis Cleanup work order includes a statement called, “Homeowner Release.” A signed release is required any time there is even a small risk to the property. The purpose of the release is to get the homeowner’s consent/permission to work. If the homeowner requested help through 2-1-1, or if they are present as you do the work, they have probably already given permission and a release may not be necessary each time. Always record the name or initials of the resident present in Crisis Cleanup in case there is any confusion after the service.
Moving Debris to the Curb: Drywall must be bagged, or garbage collectors will not take it. Use heavy-duty contractor bags. Cut trees and branches into about 4-foot sections before hauling it to the curb.
Cleaning Mold: Mold damages property and can cause health problems. Some species of mold are universally toxic; others cause irritation when the spores are present in high concentrations; some people are especially sensitive to mold spores while others are not. While most mold is not toxic to most people, it is impossible to accurately distinguish among mold species without a laboratory test.
Consequently, use caution when working with mold. Wear a properly fitting N-95 respirator or dust mask (available at building supply stores) and rubber gloves. Do not attempt to clean up areas of mold that exceed ten square feet. After working with mold, wash using soap or hand sanitizer. Wash hands frequently, and change into clean clothes after working with mold or after participating in any disaster cleanup duties. Wash clothes that have been exposed to mold separately, and rinse the washing machine before using it to clean other clothes.
Spraying for Mold: WE NO LONGER SPRAY FOR MOLD. While bleach kills surface mold, it quickly evaporates and the wet wood nourishes remaining mold. The Rutgers School of Public Health and other public health organizations now recommend AGAINST treating porous materials with a weak bleach solution to mitigate mold. This represents a change in best practices.
Spraying for mold often gives people a false sense of security, because they do not realize its benefits have literally evaporated within hours. Many homeowners replace drywall on wet wood, causing mold to re-grow within a week or two. Volunteers should encourage survivors to dry out their walls and perform full mold remediation (which includes scraping and drying), but should not spray for mold. Volunteers may leave fans with those they serve, if available.
Statement of Work Performed: In the weeks after a disaster, a single home may be visited by dozens of organizations, each of which perform a limited amount of work. For example, Mormon Helping Hands tears out walls, while other organizations will need to replace them later. It is difficult for survivors to remember which organization performed what work. When possible, leave a Statement of Work Performed (.docx), explaining the service you performed or did not perform.
Reporting Work: After a work order is complete, log into Crisis Cleanup and mark the work order “Closed, complete,” or other appropriate status.
Helping Unscheduled Neighbors: Please help neighbors who request help, as time permits; then report the work order in Crisis Cleanup as “Closed, complete.” If you do not have time to help when you perform the assessment, add the request to Crisis Cleanup and others will do the work order as they have time.
History & Photos: The Lord has commanded his church to keep a record (See D&C 69:3“…he shall continue in writing and making a history of all the important things which he shall observe and know concerning my church” (LDS.org); D&C 21:1“Behold, there shall be a record kept among you…” (LDS.org); D&C 47:1“Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you…” (LDS.org); D&C 85:1“It is the duty of the Lord’s clerk, whom he has appointed, to keep a history, and a general church record of all things that transpire in Zion” (LDS.org)). Record the location and the names of people in pictures. At the end of each day, record a brief journal entry about the places you served (including the addresses), the people you met, the survivors’ stories, and any meaningful or faith-promoting experiences. Share these journal entries with your ward or stake historian, as appropriate. Short, daily journal entries are preferable to long summaries or stories.
Reimbursement: If you are unable to consecrate your supplies, contact a your bishop to request reimbursement before spending money. (See Handbook 2, 13.2.8“Expenditures must be approved by the stake presidency or bishopric before they are incurred.” (LDS.org)).
Bishops should counsel with stake presidents before committing church resources, and stake presidents should counsel with the Area Welfare Manager before committing church resources to disaster recovery efforts.