Disasters and Faith-Based Organizations

As of Friday afternoon, May 22: Interim Guidance for Administrators and Leaders of Community- and Faith-Based Organizations to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Here is another resource for faith-based organizations. See this 17 page document titled PANDEMIC REOPENING & REENTRY CHECKLIST FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, Version 1.0 ; 15 May 2020.

This document is available from  The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO). There are various categories of membership, one of which is free.

Today, Tuesday, May 12th, at 5:30 PM (ET) we invite you to join FEMA Region II National Preparedness Division for a webinar on best practices for emergency planning and COVID-19 reconstitution from a faith leader’s perspective.

Rev. Dr. Miriam Burnett of the Jones Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, PA. will talk about her experience as a medical doctor – and pastor – in preparing her congregation as well as the AME Church denomination during times of disaster. Learn how she plans for emergencies, including pandemics, for congregations of different sizes and locations.

REGISTER HERE:  Emergency Planning From A Pastor’s Perspective Webinar Registration

FEMA REGION II WEBINAR: The Importance of Planning and Best Practices for Houses of Worship

Wednesday, April 29th, 2020, 1 PM – 2:30 PM ET

• Please join the Region II National Preparedness Division webinar for houses of worship and faith-based organizations with introductory remarks from the DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives.
• During this webinar speakers from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness/Interfaith Advisory Council, New York Disaster Interfaith Services and New Jersey Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters will discuss the importance of emergency operations and continuity planning as well as resources each of the organizations provide to support Houses of Worship.
• Best practices for performing essential functions and continuing their missions to serve congregants during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will be highlighted during the discussion by guest speakers from  African Methodist Episcopal Church and United Sikhs.

Registration: Register for the Best Practices for Houses of Worship Webinar. Make sure to test your Adobe Connect before the meeting.

This event will include live captioning.

From the CDC: Checklist for Community and Faith Organizations. “Community- and faith-based organizations are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in their communities. Use this checklist to protect the health of those you serve and staff in your care.”

Securing Faith Communities in the Era of Mass Shootings – Keynote Address

Worship in the Age of Coronavirus: Prayer, Elbow Bumps, Hand Sanitizer. As coronavirus spreads, churches, synagogues and mosques are taking precautions and adjusting their worship traditions.

From the WashPost: Too small to hire guards, too worried to go gun-free, community churches are now arming themselves

From an EMS Perspective: Safety and security in places of worship. Fire, EMS and law enforcement personnel can play an important role in the layers of safety that protect religious gatherings in the event of an emergency

From Homeland Security Today, this article: Jewish Community in America ‘Afraid in a Way We Have Never Been Before,’ Orthodox Union Tells Congress. Of special interest is what the Police Dept. in NYC is doing:

Miller said the NYPD’s new Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism unit — a 25-strong group of officers and analysts — is “specifically dedicated to investigating not just hate crimes, but more specifically the actions in the growth among violent hate groups as they spun across the country and across the Internet.”

“The idea is to identify groups with a propensity to violence and those individuals who may carry it out and to stop those incidents before they happen,” he said. “To do this, we go by the same rulebook and the same tactics and the same techniques we used to thwart attacks by ISIS and al-Qaeda and the lone wolves they inspire. We’ve already opened dozens of investigations within REME in the short time since it was formed.”

Ohio Gives House of Worship Toolkit to Prep for Aggressors. Site provides several table top exercises.