DISASTER RELIEF COMMITTEE
FOR EPC CONGREGATIONS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS.
EPC DISASTER RELIEF
When hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, earthquakes, and other disasters strike, the EPC family responds first in prayer and then, as God provides capacity and capability, by coming alongside local churches to care for their people and communities.
In the Middle of a Disaster
If a disaster has just struck (or is imminent), this section is meant to be clear, calm, and immediately useful. Start with safety, then care for people, then determine what your church can realistically do.
By Phase
- Relief (first 72 hours): prioritize life safety, check-ins, bottled water, electrolytes, diapers, basic tools, temporary tarps, and safe temporary shelter.
- Recovery (days 3ā30): cleaning and muck-out, mold prevention, safe storage for belongings, spiritual and emotional care.
- Rebuild (months+): a small number of well-chosen projects, coordinated with skilled teams and trusted partner organizations.
First Steps for Pastors & Church Leaders
- Make sure you and your family are safe and housed before you lead others.
- Check on your congregation, beginning with the most vulnerable and those who rely on electricity or medical equipment.
- Assess the church facility: structural safety, power, water, and access roads.
- Locate insurance documents and policies. Make sure you know where they are and how to access them.
- Document church and personal possessions with video and photos, and save them to a secure location such as a thumb drive kept in a safe place or in the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
- Educate the congregation about personal preparedness, including food, water, lighting, and necessary medications.
- Decide your role: will your church serve as an active relief hub, or mainly support other relief efforts? Decide who will lead. Consider the gifts, skills and experiences of staff and lay leaders who can carry the logistical aspects allowing the pastor to care for the spiritual needs of the congregation and community.
- Contact the EPC Disaster Relief Committee if your congregation has experienced serious impact.
First Steps for Individuals & Families
- Follow local authorities for evacuation orders and safety instructions.
- Move to a safe location away from rising water, downed power lines, or unstable structures.
- Gather essentials: water, non-perishable food, medications, flashlights, and important documents.
- Pre-position basic tools and supplies (tarps, generators, ladders, chain saws, PPE, wheelbarrows, garbage bags or cans, rakes, flat shovels, gas cans) as resources allow. These items will not be available once the storm hits.
- Check in with your local church if possible and let them know your status.
- If you need assistance, ask your church for help or a referral to trusted relief partners.
Help My Church Prepare
Every EPC church can have a simple, workable disaster plan. You do not have to be a large congregation or a professional relief agency. Start with a small team, a basic framework, and a few key tools.
Three-Step Planning Framework
- Before the Season
- Educate the congregation about personal preparedness (food, water, lights, medicines).
- Recruit a leadership team (at least three people) and volunteer work teams.
- Identify a phone/office team to help with calling, tracking needs, and communication in a crisis.
- Pre-position basic tools and supplies (tarps, generators, ladders, chain saws, PPE) as resources allow.
- When a Storm or Event Is Forecast
- Secure the church campus: loose items, signage, drainage, and critical systems.
- Advise members to fuel vehicles, prepare āgo bags,ā and evacuate if in high-risk areas.
- Alert your volunteer teams that they may be called upon after the event.
- After the Disaster
- Gather a small āwar roomā team (pastor, leaders, administrator) to coordinate the response.
- Systematically call through the congregation to record who is safe, who is displaced, and who has damage.
- Deploy work teams and food teams where you have the skills and capacity to help.
- Assist members, as able, with basic permitting, insurance documentation, and access to partner agencies.
Resources & Archive
A curated library of DRC planning tools, sample plans, case studies, and preparedness resources.
Foundations
Church Response Models
Facility & Campus Preparedness
Get Started
Household Preparedness
About the EPC Disaster Relief Committee
The Disaster Relief Committee serves EPC congregations and presbyteries by bringing prayer, education, order, emergency assistance, and strategy to the chaos that follows natural disasters.
We focus our material response where an EPC congregation has been seriously affected by a weather-related disaster, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and earthquakes.
- We work through local churches, helping them care for their people and communities.
- We coordinate, when appropriate, with partner relief organizations and agencies.
Contact the DRC
If your EPC congregation has been impacted by a disaster, or if you would like help preparing a plan, please contact us using the form below.