Is your Family and Church ready for an Emergency?

With Hurricane Sandy heading to the East Coast and more specifically possibly headed to where I live in Bowie, MD. My family and Church are doing everything we can to be ready.

Here are some things you and your church can do to be safe and prepared for Sandy or any future weather emergency:

Cash: Have extra cash at hand in case area banks and ATMSs lose power
Car: Keep a full tank of gas

Laundry: Tackle the whole mountain sitting in the laundry room today if possible
Emergency kit: Create 1 for food and water for 3 days and medicines (7 days worth)
Water: 1 gallon per person per day. You should have a 3 day supply ready.
Food: Canned food, Baby Formula, Dried Nuts and similar non-perishable items
Phones: Make sure they are fully charged
Flashlights: Make sure your flashlights and batteries are working
Check on elderly or disabled neighbors: Help members of my community. Do they have their medicines, water, food, flash light and phone numbers of family members at hand?

For more detailed info check out redcross.org/prepare

Here are a few technology tools that can be useful:

GroupMe
For my family we also use a Free Mobile App called GroupMe . Group me allows us to instantly conference or text all of my nearby relatives and make sure everyone is ok. We also use it as a Prayer Line that we can pray during emergencies for those that may be affected.

Red Cross Hurricane App
This app allows you to Monitor conditions in your area or throughout the storm track, prepare your family and home, find help and let others know you are safe even if the power is out – a must have for anyone who lives in an area where a hurricane may strike or has loved ones who do.

Google Interactive map
This map from google gives hurricane projections and vital info for local residents in the affected areas including shelter locations.

crossMRKT
Our crossMRKT app allows you to send a message to everyone in your Church or Organization letting them know if you are closed if there has been a location change etc. As we prepare for Sandy we decided to Cancel our Sunday night service and sent out a text message to over 1,000 people alerting them. There is no other communication method that would have been so effective on short notice.

Ustream
Ustream is a Free Video Streaming service that allows you to stream to the internet right from your laptop. All you need is a video camera, laptop and internet. This is a great way for your Pastor or Ministry leaders to still connect with your church and have a Prayer or Bible Study service. The Church is not the building don’t let the lack of access to the building stop the church from meeting. For example My good friend Chip Dizard is using UStream today to host a  online prayer group for youth and young adults.

We pray that this info was useful and that all families and churches in the affected areas will be safe.