Typical Resources and Responses
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After disasters, “Church leaders make the services of the Church available to civil authorities. Church leaders also take independent action in behalf of Church members as needed.” (Handbook 1, 5.2.11. See also, Acts 11:27-30“And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judæa: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” (LDS.org)). Ward and stake councils prayerfully counsel with the Lord to receive guidance on how to serve and what level of community service constitutes an acceptable offering to the Lord (See D&C 4:2“Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.” (LDS.org); Mosiah 4:26-27“And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” (LDS.org); D&C 126:1-3“…My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me. I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. I therefore command you to send my word abroad, and take especial care of your family from this time, henceforth and forever. Amen.” (LDS.org)). Stake presidents and bishops draw from the Lord’s Storehouse during recovery efforts, which includes bishops’ storehouses and “Church members’ offerings of time, talents, compassion, materials, and financial means.” (Handbook 2, 6.1.3“In some locations the Church has established buildings called bishops’ storehouses. When members receive permission from their bishop, they may go to the bishops’ storehouse to obtain food and clothing. But the Lord’s storehouse is not limited to a building used to distribute food and clothing to the poor. It also includes Church members’ offerings of time, talents, compassion, materials, and financial means that are made available to the bishop to help care for the poor and needy. The Lord’s storehouse, then, exists in each ward. These offerings are “to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse, … every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 82:18–19). The bishop is the agent of the Lord’s storehouse.” (LDS.org)).Local priesthood leaders request approval for an emergency response budget, through the Area Welfare Manager (AWM). Typical resources provided by the Church include the following:
- Unskilled Volunteer Labor. Members respond in large numbers to perform unskilled labor, like 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, listening and ministering to survivors, parking and logistics, first aid, child care, communications, remote 2-1-1 phone center volunteering, support center volunteering, and assisting city and state officials. 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.
- Basic Goods. At the request of priesthood leaders, the church may provide food, water, blankets, basic medical supplies, cleaning kits and hygiene kits. Stake presidents should council with the AWM to determine availability of other goods.
- Cleanup Tools. If members do not have their own tools, priesthood leaders may request cleanup and muck-out tools such as hammers, crowbars, brooms, shovels, gloves, masks, eye protection, chainsaws, etc.
- Mormon Helping Hands T-shirts & Vests. Volunteers who participate in recovery efforts should wear yellow t-shirts or vests identifying themselves as Church volunteers. These vests may be ordered through church headquarters. (See Policy on Use of Mormon Helping Hands T-shirts)
- Crisis Counseling and Emotional Support. Survivors and responders often experience severe emotional and spiritual strain in the weeks and months after a disaster. LDS Family Services can be made available for counseling. See Experiencing a Traumatic Event Handout (.doc).
- Temporary Shelter. Church leaders may offer meetinghouses as temporary shelter under the conditions in Guidelines for Use of Meetinghouses as Emergency Shelters (.doc). Church leaders should not ask members to house visiting volunteers or survivors.
- Other Appropriate Relief. This is not a complete list of all possible relief. Stake presidents should counsel with the Area Emergency Response Committee (AERC) before making large or unique requests from church headquarters, or requests for rebuilding resources or cash donations to other organizations.
After a disaster, the church does not typically provide:
- Skilled Labor. The Church does not sponsor or perform rebuilding work that must be certified by a professional body or government agency. Members with professional certifications (such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, attorneys, etc.) who wish to participate in long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts are encouraged to participate through other sponsoring organizations, such as a long-term recovery group.
- Long-Term Recovery Assistance. Volunteers are encouraged to assist with long-term recovery by volunteering through long-term recovery groups.
- Community-wide Case Management. “Case management” includes assisting and counseling community members in all aspects of their individual and family needs. Although bishops, relief society presidents, and other ward leaders often minister to members of the community, Church leaders should coordinate with other VOAD partners, such as Catholic Charities, to perform community-wide case management.
- Donations Management and Warehousing. Managing unsolicited donations is commonly referred to as “the disaster after the disaster.” Donations from members or the public are often unsolicited, used, unsorted, dirty, in disrepair, may not meet the need at hand, and may not be legal for shelters to use and divert 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 or staff warehouses. Members with donations management and warehousing expertise may also volunteer through other VOAD partners, such as the Seventh Day Adventists.
Read More…
- Principles of Disaster Recovery
- For Leaders
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Checklist for Stake Presidents
- Checklist for Bishops
- Draft Letter From Stake Presidents to Visiting Stake Presidents (.docx)
- Draft Letter From Stake Presidents to Members and Ward Leaders (.docx)
Other Policies
- Guidelines for Use of Meetinghouses as Emergency Shelters (.doc)
- Donations, Solicitations and Offers (.docx)
- Proselytizing
- Liability, Risk, and Insurance
- Age Requirements
- How to Get Work Orders
- Spiritual and Emotional Well-Being
- Mormon Helping Hands T-Shirts