Damage Control

Safety Positioning (Evacuation and Sheltering)

A damaged church stands under a cloudy sky with part of the building collapsed into rubble. Bold white text reads “Disaster Recovery in Your Church”]

This article focuses on dealing with the aftermath of disasters, including those referred to in Safety Member Certification training modules such as Storms and Disasters, Arson and Fire Safety, Active Shooter Response, and Mass Trauma Emergencies [1].

From the Bible –

The first verse tells of windstorm damage, and the other two tell of repairing damage done to the Temple:

And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee (Job 1:19).

And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the Lord: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the Lord, And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it (1 Kings 12:11-12).

Even to the artificers and builders gave they [the money donated by remnants of the northern tribes], to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed (2 Chronicles 34:11).

Introduction

As members of church safety ministries, we deal with severe weather threats, fire prevention and safety, active killers, and mass casualties. After one of these incidents, how do we deal with the aftermath? Besides preparing to deal with the incident itself, we also need to prepare for the damage done.

In the News -

These news stories cover the aftermath of several kinds of disasters:

Fire.

Boonsville, Arkansas, November 14, 2018 and December 8, 2019 - The Southside Assembly of God Church was destroyed in a November 2018 suspected arson fire. The congregation met at a local United Methodist Church while a new building was constructed on the site of the old facility. The new church was dedicated on December 8, 2019 [2].

Tornado.

Washington County, Pennsylvania, May 13, 2024 - After a tornado hit a Finleyville church during a Saturday evening service, the congregation began planning for rebuilding the heavily damaged structure [3].

Earthquake.

Anchorage, Alaska, November 30, 2018 - A 7.1 magnitude earthquake centered north of Anchorage left several people without water or power, including residents of an addiction recovery facility. A Methodist church in Anchorage offered to shelter the residents, quickly gathering bedding. They arranged meals with a local restaurant [4].

Flooding.

Hawarden, Iowa, June 21-22, 2024 - When the Big Sioux River overflowed its banks, it flooded the lower levels of a Lutheran church. The sanctuary was untouched, but offices, restrooms, and classrooms were swamped. That's where church records were kept. A top priority in restoration was repairing the elevator [5].

Lightning.

Salisbury, North Carolina, June 11, 2023 - A former school building owned by a church and used for youth and sports ministries was struck by lightning and burned down [6].

Explosion.

Woodstock, Illinois, October 9, 2023 - Monday, October 9, 2023 was Columbus Day, so there were no classes at St. Mary's School in Woodstock, but staff were on duty at the school and at St. Mary's Church. About a half-hour after noon someone reported smelling gas. The fire department responded and determined that there was a natural gas leak. The home with the gas and the church and school were evacuated. About 2:30 pm a gas explosion leveled the house, which was across the street from the church, started fires, and damaged about 20 other buildings, including the church and school.

School classes and church services were relocated awaiting cleanup and repairs. By the end of the year, the sanctuary and the school were again in use. By a year later, the stained glass windows had been replaced [7][8].

Picking up the Pieces -

Immediately after a destructive disaster, picking up the pieces is usually a literal description of the response. The pieces may include the entire facility or only a part. There are also pieces other than parts of buildings, other structures, and trees. Documents may be lost or damaged. People may be injured physically or psychologically. Services, classes, and other activities may be hampered. Depending on the kind of disaster, there may be needs in the surrounding community, and as in Anchorage, the church can help others in picking up the pieces.

It pays to be ready to pick up the pieces in case there is a disaster.

Plan for Corporate Survival -

Some disasters, such as a fire, may totally destroy church records and historical documents. Certain documents may be essential to the church's legal and financial status. These include incorporation papers, bylaws, roster of church officers, membership records, financial records, and insurance papers. Historical documents are special value to the congregation, even if not legally necessary. Printed records and documents should be copied and the copies stored off-site. Electronic records can be backed up to off-site data storage, such as Carbonite, MS Azure, iCloud, etc. Key church officers should have access to the backed-up records so in the case of a disaster they can be recovered.

Prepare for Recovery -

Whatever possible and likely disasters there may be, the church should plan and prepare to recover. Besides prevention and response, disaster planning should also include recovery. For instance, while we consider how to prevent fires and how to respond to one, we need plans for what to do just in case there is a fire, depending on the extent of damage and how people are affected. We need to Build for Recovery, Train for Recovery, and Insure for Recovery.

Build for Recovery:

The former school in Salisbury, NC, was a total loss from a lightning-caused fire because it was an older design [6]. When building a new facility, include design features to make it more survivable. Some of these features may be added to existing structures.

Recommended features include firewalls in the attic as well as between rooms, fire doors, a fireproof / tornado-proof / flood-proof safe, disaster-proof vault for historical documents, vital records, etc., and a blast-proof tornado shelter.

In a flood-prone area, have features to block minor flooding, on the main floor place electrical outlets two or three feet above the floor, waterproof the walls, etc.

If you are in a hurricane zone, building according to Miami-Dade standards may already be in the state or local building codes. Earthquake standards are in building codes in West Coast states.

The Design-Build section of Worship Facility [9] has two articles that may help you in deciding how to build or remodel a church building to better survive disasters and to protect not only the people, but items essential to corporate survival: "Protecting Churches by Design" by Simon Osamoh [10] and "How to Protect Your Glass Against Forced-Entry, Bomb-Blasts, and Natural Disasters" by Worship Facility Staff [11].

Train for Recovery:

We train for preventing preventable disasters (such as a fire or an active shooter incident), as well as for responding to emergencies. Don't forget to have people who are trained for what to do in the aftermath of a disaster to help the church and others recover.

Emergency Medical Response - This is the top skill set for a disaster aftermath since many disasters leave injuries ranging from minor to fatal. It is the topic of the Safety Member Certification training module "Mass Trauma Emergencies [1]."
Fire Control - Some disasters, such as the Woodstock gas explosion and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, have triggered fires [12]. Controlling fire and evacuating survivors can save lives.
Debris Removal - Tornado shelters have inwardly opening doors for a reason: they can be opened even if blocked on the outside by debris. People trained in debris removal can rescue trapped persons. If these persons are inside the shelter, debris removal can begin as soon as the door is opened.
Emergency Repairs - If the damage is not total, some initial repairs may enable the facility to be useable or prevent further damage until full repairs can be made.
Resource Management - Managing limited resources wisely can enable the church to continue serving in a difficult situation.
Shelter Management - Church members and guests may have to remain in shelter longer than a day, and some churches, such as the one in Anchorage, may provide shelter to others impacted by the disaster. Persons skilled in managing shelters can help things to go more effectively and smoothly.

This training is not reserved for just the safety team, but the Church Safety Director should encourage the church to have people proficient in these skills, whether they are on the Safety Team or not.

Insure for Recovery:

Disasters can be extremely costly. When you read or hear of the estimated overall dollar value damage from a disaster (such as a hurricane), think of the cost of damage to churches in that area. Insure the church for the most likely disasters. Instead of trying to steer you to one church insurance provider, here is a WebCrawler list of several dedicated to serving religious communities - other insurance companies also have policies for churches:

Be sure to insure against losses from a likely disaster for your location. The insurance provider can help in determining which ones most need coverage and also assist in loss abatement.

Training Memo -

Training through Sheepdog Church Security's course Safety Member Certification can provide your team with some of the knowledge needed in the aftermath of a disaster [1]:

Storms and Disasters,
Arson and Fire Safety,
Mass Trauma Emergencies,
Active Shooter Response.

It's easy to see how to recover from the first two, and the third does deal directly with the aftermath. Following an active shooter incident, cleaning and repairs will be needed, traumatized attendees will need comforting and counseling, and the entire incident calls for an evaluation to inform us in better preparation, including structural and technological changes. We can then also sharpen our response to future incidents.

Free Download -

Our free digital download this week is Emergency Response Visualization Guide:

Download the Emergency Response Visualization Guide to mentally rehearse critical scenarios like medical emergencies, intruder threats, fire evacuations, and disruptive individuals. Build confidence and readiness for any church safety challenge.

Click *HERE* to get this helpful guide for conditioning our response to emergencies.

Conclusion -

Sorry, Yogi. It's not over when it's over when it's a disaster. There is much to be done in the aftermath to recover from damage done. Just ask residents of Asheville, North Carolina. Plan and prepare for the kinds of disasters which are likely for your location.

References -

Kris Moloney, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
Glenn M. Parrish, "Church recovers from fire, to dedicate building Sunday," Times Record, December 7, 2019 [https://www.swtimes.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2019/12/08/church-recovers-from-fire-to/2130058007/].
Yazmin Rodriguez, "Pastor looks forward to rebuilding church after building sustained damage in tornado," WTAE, Updated: May 13, 2024 https://www.wtae.com/article/pennsylvania-tornado-church-washington-county-finleyville/60770055].
Sam Hodges, "Church steps up after earthquake," UM News, December 3, 2018 [https://www.umnews.org/en/news/church-steps-up-after-earthquake].
Katie Anderson, "Trinity Lutheran seeks to repair after flood," NWestIowa Independent, Sep 23, 2024, Updated Apr 8, 2025 [https://www.nwestiowa.com/independent/trinity-lutheran-seeks-to-repair-after-flood/article_57bcc420-76ae-11ef-9139-b37c7cf5271d.html].
David Whisenant and WBTV Web Staff, "Lightning strike causes three alarm fire at Salisbury youth sports ministry building," WBTV, June 11, 2023 [https://www.wbtv.com/2023/06/11/lightning-strike-causes-fire-salisbury-church-building/].
Jessica D'Onofrio and Stephanie Wade, "Cleanup underway after 11 buildings damaged in Woodstock house explosion, including church, school," WLS-TV ABC7, October 10, 2023 [https://abc7chicago.com/woodstock-house-explosion-gas-fire-illinois/13886559/].
Claire O'Brien, "Woodstock explosion 1 year later: Looking back at what happened then and since," Shaw Local News Network, October 9, 2024 [https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2024/10/09/woodstock-explosion-1-year-later-looking-back-at-what-happened-then-and-since/].
Design-Build, Worship Facility [https://www.worshipfacility.com/category/facilities/design-build/].
Simon Osamoh, "Protecting Churches by Design," Worship Facility, March 5, 2024 [https://www.worshipfacility.com/2024/03/05/protecting-churches-by-design/].
Worship Facility Staff, "How to Protect Your Glass Against Forced-Entry, Bomb-Blasts, and Natural Disasters," Worship Facility, March 5, 2024 [https://www.worshipfacility.com/2024/03/05/how-to-protect-your-glass-against-forced-entry-bomb-blasts-and-natural-disasters/].
HistoryNet Staff, "The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire," HistoryNet, May 4, 2025, Retrieved from [https://www.historynet.com/the-great-1906-san-francisco-earthquake-and-fire/].