Our Oregon summers are getting hotter as our climate is changing. I recently drove to Pendleton with a few staff members of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) to attend a climate vigil hosted by local members of the faith community. The goal of the vigil was to bring together people who are concerned about climate change to learn and act.
Our changing climate has produced natural disasters, such as flooding in Vermont and devastating fires in Maui this summer. Oregonians have also experienced wildfires that have impacted our state and displaced many people.
While we can each do our part to change the ways we treat our planet, we also need to be prepared for natural disasters when they occur.
During times of crisis, many people will turn to faith organizations for resources and comfort. How can our faith communities be more involved in disaster preparedness? EMO is strengthening our efforts to address this question.
I recently spoke to Priscilla Fuentes, Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Cascade Region, about the faith community’s role in disaster preparedness.
“People want to receive information and resources from places they already trust and feel safe, so faith communities can be of service to their communities during a disaster,” shared Fuentes. “In every large disaster response that I’ve worked on, the faith community was instrumental and powerful when it came to working with vulnerable communities to connect and make sure people are getting services.”
During the 2020 wildfires in Jackson County in southern Oregon, the American Red Cross partnered with Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Medford. Many families in the congregation were impacted by the fires. Sacred Heart held an event for Immediate Assistance Resources through the American Red Cross. Over 400 families attended the church’s Immediate Assistance site, which was more than twice the attendance for other similar events.
Being trained and prepared to respond in an emergency is crucial. “Often in a disaster, people will sink to their lowest level of training,” said Fuentes. “So, if you continue to build on your training and prepare for a disaster, then you will have the basic tools necessary and can think, ‘What do I do next?’”
The American Red Cross and EMO have built a partnership to support faith communities already providing disaster preparedness resources to their communities, as well provide training opportunities to faith communities who want to be more involved in disaster preparedness. See the box on the right to learn more.
For further information about the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org. For further information for faith communities that would like to be involved in disaster preparedness, email tsilvey@emoregon.org.
Taylor Silvey is the Program Manager of EMO’s HIV Services. She is expanding her work to include Creation Justice with an emphasis on disaster preparedness for faith organizations.
