The kind of damage to churches that was experienced from the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 suggest that a disaster plan can go a long way to eliminate or severely limit potential damage.

Form a disaster team prior to hurricane season and determine who will do what, why, when, where, and how.

Here are some suggestions that address four areas of loss potential that can be implemented before a storm:

The power of the winds in a hurricane is beyond the comprehension of most people. Wind driven water and debris do the most damage. Any opening invites disaster. Power surges from falling power lines are the second punch a hurricane delivers.

1. Check all main doors leading into the church for structural integrity, no rot or looseness. If necessary cross block the doors with timbers. If the doors blow in, the roof usually blows out.

2. Install duct tape on all of the edges of doors leading into the church. Especially tape the center opening in double doors, front and back, and place tape across the bottom edge. This helps keep wind driven water and mist from entering the church.

3. Pick up any and all loose objects from around the church. They can become flying missiles doing further damage.

4. Inspect all large stained glass windows for deterioration of the leading in the glass. If in doubt, have them checked by a professional stained glass company.

5. Remove or lock down any roof-mounted rotating vents, or they may fly away. These are usually found over the kitchen area.

6. Shut down any gas lines leading into the building. Don’t forget the barbecue grill either; store it inside, but leave the propane tank lashed down outside.

7. Shut down all air conditioning and shut down main breakers. Power surges can be very damaging. This helps prevent those surges from reaching critical equipment.

8. Check roof for any damage now, before the storm. Loose roof tiles become dangerous in a storm.

9. Consider storm shutters or plywood for main windows. This may be a significant expense, but at least cheaper than replacing windows later.

10. Move as much of the playground equipment as possible to inside storage.

11. Photograph or video the entire building and keep copies in a safe and dry place.

Pianos and organs do not react well to being flooded with water, and they are very expensive.

1. Tightly wrap pianos and organs in large plastic sheeting prior to a storm.

2. Store away any other musical instruments that can be damaged by water: guitars, drums, electronic keyboards, microphones, etc. Consider wrapping these in plastic as well. Move any electronic floor items associated with these instruments to a higher location

3. Photograph all of the equipment and keep copies in a safe and dry place.

One of the most expensive and forgotten areas is all of the new visual and audio equipment most churches are now using.

1. Tightly cover all electronic equipment in plastic sheeting prior to a storm. Store all CDs and DVDs, microphones, and other materials in plastic bags and then in plastic storage bins secured with duct tape.

2. Consider enclosing the sound and video booth in its own sealed room, further reducing the potential of damage from roof failures.

3. Photograph all these items now and keep copies in a safe and dry place.

A regular habit of backing up all computerized records at least weekly can go a long way to saving important information and records of a church. Keep the back up stored in a waterproof container, preferably off the premises. Most of today’s programs allow for such back-ups. Some churches have gone to fire proof and waterproof floor mounted safes.

1. Prior to a storm, make double back ups and store in plastic containers and store in a safe and dry place.

2. Unplug ALL computer equipment, power surges will kill them. Consider investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and Surge Protector now. These contain battery backups that will allow a person to save work and shut the computer down without losing any info. They also block voltage spikes that slowly kill hard drives. Cost $100.00

3. Wrap computers in plastic bags and store off the floor and away from windows. An interior room will work.

4. Wrap written records such as a church parochial report book, archives and other important documents in plastic and store in a plastic storage bin. The information in them is often irreplaceable.

5. Cover other large pieces of office equipment such as copiers, printers, etc, in plastic and unplug them.

This list is by no means guaranteed complete or failsafe, especially considering the fickle nature of hurricanes that can strike one part of a church, but leave another part untouched. Following steps like those listed above will do a lot to mitigate damage and will help the church get up and running a lot quicker after the storm.

Above all, form a Disaster Team and have a Disaster Plan in place before the hurricane warning is issued.

See Also...

For a more comprehensive resource that has much that applies to churches, see the Florida Business Disaster Survival Kit website at http://www.tampabaydisaster.org/fldisasterkit/index.html. 

See also the PDF version of the Florida Business Disaster Survival Kit at http://www.tampabaydisaster.org/fldisasterkit/pdfs/guidebook.pdf.

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