Be Ready Sunday – September 14, 2008
Dear Religious Leader,
September is National Preparedness Month! Your church family is cordially invited to join in the readiness plans of our nation. National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort meant to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, schools and churches. Faith-based organizations are encouraged to include preparedness materials in their bulletins and newsletters, post preparedness information on their websites, and speak to their congregation on the need to prepare during the month of September.
Enclosed is a toolbox to help prepare your church and congregation. Take a few moments to review the list of preparedness goals. Learn how your church family can join the nation by preparing your house of worship and your congregation to respond and recover from a disaster or emergency.
BE INFORMED
The first goal in disaster preparedness is to get informed. Fostering awareness in your congregation about potential hazards and having a plan set in place can save time, resources, money, and most importantly lives.
Potential disasters in California range from earthquakes, wild fires, severe weather, floods, and tsunamis to hazardous materials incidents, and possibly even a terrorist attack. Knowing that these types of incidents can occur at any time and that these incidents can overwhelm a community including public safety and a city’s critical infrastructure is so important in the world we live in today. People will need to help themselves. Knowledge is a powerful tool in faith and in the need to protect oneself and others from harm.
Once everyone knows the kinds of disasters or emergencies that can occur in their community, it is time to move forward with the creation of an emergency supply kits for the home, car, workplace, school, and church. Map-out emergency fire escape and evacuation plans. Know how you will communicate and reunite with family. A little pre-planning today helps everyone gather strength to move forward and begin the rode to recovery if a disaster should strike.
BE INVOLVED
Encourage your congregation to participate in community preparedness activities and citizen-based training programs to help their community be ready.
In 95% of all emergencies, bystanders or victims themselves are the first ones to provide emergency assistance or to perform a rescue. Refer your congregation to www.fema.gov or their local city website to find out more information on training and volunteer opportunities such as the Community Emergency Response Team, Medical Reserve Corp., Fire Corps, Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service and Amateur Radio organizations. These volunteer organizations are part of national and local Citizen Corp Councils. No matter where your church members live there are opportunities for all to get informed, get prepared and be involved in preparedness! Find out more at www.citizencorp.gov
The individual citizen is America’s most valuable tool in the prevention of crime and terrorism. Help communities around our state better prepare for any kind of disaster or emergency. Church family members will turn to their faith in times of need, for comfort and support. Start today; welcome the message of preparation into your house of worship.
BE READY
Prepare your congregation by sharing these scripture references.
BE READY SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
Isaiah 41: 17-20: 61:1-3
Psalm 9:9-10; 23: 4; 46, 55:22; 57:1; 100:5, 121
Matthew 5: 1-10; 25: 34-40
Luke 10:25-37
John 9:2, 10:1-10
Aets 5:32
Romans 8:31-39
1 John 3:17-18
FAITH-BASED READINESS
- Is your place of worship READY? If you have not already created an emergency response plan, see the Steps for Developing a Plan for Your Church. These steps will help you and your church leadership establish a baseline to better prepare for a disaster or emergency.
- The Faith-Based Organization Disaster Preparedness Checklist will help you complete a thorough evaluation of your church readiness.
- Be Ready Pamphlet for printing or posting for your church family.
The print ready handout can be copied to share with your congregation to learn the basics of preparedness and where to search for more information.
There are many resources for information available on line at www.Ready.gov , www.ReadyOC.org and www.fema.gov.
For more information on preparedness planning, contact your local office of emergency management.
This information was created by the Costa Mesa Fire Department in conjunction with the Costa Mesa Citizen Corp Council Coalition and the national READY campaign – Bemrick@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us.