Spiritual Care and Mental Health for disaster response and recovery is a comprehensive resource tool that enables NYC religious leaders to best serve their congregations and the public as they respond to and recover from disasters. Its 19 chapters were
Your whole community benefits when people with particular vulnerabilities are supported. Accommodating their needs, especially during disasters, allows families to stay together, preserves natural support systems, prevents or mitigates acute medical conditions, and permits you as a leader to focus
Your leadership may be needed to ensure that LGBT survivors receive full access to assistance programs and services during all phases of the disaster lifecycle, but especially in relief and recovery programs.
As a religious leader, you can guide families to resources for helping their children cope. Like adults, children need to make sense of things that happen; their families can help them to understand, and to reestablish trust, hope, and a
As a religious leader, you can serve to ensure that all people with unmet needs, regardless of immigration status, receive the support necessary for sustainable recovery, whether by providing direct services or by advocating for humane recovery policies.
As a religious leader, you can help your congregation and community prepare for the hazards of a heat wave by providing information on how to cope with the heat, attending to the particular needs of vulnerable persons, and offering your
As a religious leader, you can help your congregation and community prepare for the hazards of extreme cold by providing information on how to cope with the cold, by attending to the particular needs of vulnerable persons, and by offering
Many disasters create localized or community-wide debris fields or mud flows. Religious leaders and volunteers from their congregations are ideal partners to work with emergency managers at debris removal and cleanup.
A strong, well-organized Long-Term Recovery Organization (LTRO), working in partnership with faith communities, is essential for coordinating resources needed by survivors and supporting recovery for the whole community.
While some traditional shelter locations (like schools) must revert to their original function early on, houses of worship can support long-term housing needs in culturally appropriate ways.