Every organisation will have different needs and should adapt their plans to fit the needs of their particular site.

Disasters include natural occurrences such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, landslides, storms, volcanic activity, firestorms, and acts of terrorism, armed intruders and other hazards. The list is not exhaustive. Sudden and unexpected disasters can happen anywhere, anytime, including while at church. Although a church has many duties and priorities, the safety of the community should also be paramount. This means having a precise plan in case of sudden calamities. The plan needs to be organised and communicated in detail so that if something happens, everyone is prepared to act.

The more specific the plan is, the less time will be lost in the event of a disaster. The plan should provide information about a common gathering place in an emergency. There can be a first response plan that includes things like first aid, basic living necessities, food and water stored in a safe place. Cleaning up is also part of repairing any damage done to a church building. Tonga is currently in the cleaning up stage before recovery. The final step can be rehabilitating anything damaged in the building or property.

A church can also think about mitigating loss. For example, it may be necessary to choose another building to temporarily serve as the church building. Contact information for emergencies should be provided and information systems should be backed up and kept in a separate safe place. Building blueprints are helpful when a building needs to be evacuated quickly.

Once an emergency preparedness manual is created, it is good practice to check the plan every six months and update the content with new and current information. Mandatory disaster drills should also be conducted regularly following review of the manual. This will ensure that any weaknesses in the organisation and understanding of the plans are noted and corrected.

There are resources and information available for emergency preparedness at: www.civildefence.govt.nz/find-your-civil-defence-group/

Contact your local Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group to see if there is already a community emergency plan for your area. They can work with you to identify strengths, resources, risks and solutions to help your community get through an emergency.