Hurricane Sandy: How Should The Church Respond?

PHOENIX, ARIZONA (ANS) -- Eight days after Hurricane Sandy blasted the Northeast, from New Jersey to Rhode Island, millions remain without power as supplies of water and fuel run low in the hardest hit areas
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A girl observes some damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall in New York City’s Lower Manhattan. (Photo: Laura Reinhardt/World Vision)

According to a news release from Christian Emergency Network (CEN), in West Virginia, extreme winter weather, including five feet of snow in the mountains, has sent roofs crashing in on homes and stores, leaving many stranded without a connection to the outside world. 


Estimates of the displaced, requiring permanent relocation, range between 40,000 - 60,000.
CEN, a Christian emergency communications network, has partnered with the National Day of Prayer, Meet the Need, Victim Relief, and the Christian Appalachian Project to provide logistical support.
On Nov.7 at 1:00 pm EST, the CEN Incident Command Team will give a briefing on the current needs in the regions impacted by Hurricane Sandy. 

During the 75-minute conference call, Sandy Buresh, Program Director for the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) and CEN Incident Commander will describe the situation.
According to CEN, many areas are unreachable, and lack power or sufficient housing for aid workers. As the snow melts, new flooding may further complicate response efforts. Without coordination, volunteers may be turned back by the National Guard, unable to find sufficient housing and also become victims.

Lisa Crump, CEN Prayer Officer and Director of the National Day of Prayer will present the critical prayer concerns. She will be followed by Jim Morgan, Meet the Need President and CEN Logistics officer who will describe how churches can receive prayer coverage for their field response, and use the online Meet the Need platform to register needs and connect with donors and volunteers who can respond. 

CEN said Victim Relief is providing access to chaplains trained in crisis counseling. CEN will present tools and training for assessing capacity and quickly organizing a response.
Mary Marr, President and Founder of CEN, will also be participating on the call. Speaking in the news release she said she encourages all church leaders to participate.

"Churches in the impacted area, close to the area or who desire to respond to the crisis should attend this conference call." Marr said, "They'll learn how to request help from the Christian community, or identify places to give aid, and access resources for organizing a recovery effort. Don't become part of the disaster by trying to help without preparation." 

The CEN Incident Command Briefing is a free service provided to churches in a growing network of Ready Churches. Active in eight cities in the U.S., Ready Churches have provided actionable intelligence on the Tucson shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, aided recovery from the recent floods in Arizona, and coordinated a peaceful response to violence in Dearborn, MI between Christians and Muslims. 

CEN said Ready Church training gives churches an action plan for networking, preparing and responding biblically to crisis and disaster. 

Source:here.