Members of stake and ward welfare committees will be better able to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Copies of the Guidelines for Preparation of Ward and Stake Emergency Plans for each paticipant. Use the link provided to download a copy of the guidelines.
Invite a participant to read the following statement:
The stake welfare committee, under the direction of the stake president, prepares a stake emergency response plan. This plan should be coordinated with similar plans in the welfare region and in the community. During an emergency, bishops report to the stake presidency on the condition of Church members and Church property. The stake presidency then reports to the Area Presidency. Church leaders should make the services of the Church available to civil authorities during an emergency. They also should take independent action on behalf of Church members as needed. (See Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1: Bishoprics and Stake Presidencies [2006], 9–10).
Remind participants that the Lord has promised, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Discuss how being prepared can bring peace.
Help participants understand the following points, and discuss them as needed:
1. Widespread and severe emergencies include disasters caused by forces of nature, war, civil unrest, and economic failures.
2. Like many of the prophets before him, President Hinckley has warned of possible disasters and has counseled members to prepare: “There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed. . . . No one knows when emergencies will strike. . . . Set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 70–72; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53–54).
Ask participants: What does it mean to “set your houses in order”? How have members of your ward or stake been blessed by following the prophet’s counsel?
3. Each stake and ward welfare committee has the responsibility to plan how it will respond to the most likely emergencies or disasters they may face (see Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders [1998], 315–16, 318).
Ask participants: What emergencies are most likely in your area?
4. Stake and ward leaders have the responsibility to teach and encourage members to prepare for emergencies.
5. If emergencies affect more than one stake, the Area Presidency designates one stake president (usually the chairman of the regional welfare committee) to coordinate response activities.
6. The Church cooperates with civil authorities both in planning and in responding when disasters occur.
Ask participants to discuss how their ward or stake can coordinate emergency preparation and response efforts with their community.
Read the following account:
“When [Hurricane Mitch] hit on Tuesday, Oct. 27 [1998], [Bishop Jose Delios Lagos] and his wife . . . kept their 10 children in but weren’t worried. . . . ‘On Wednesday, the rain grew stronger and the river rose higher than we had ever seen,’ said Bishop Lagos.
“As the river [began] to rise, Bishop Lagos . . . called the stake president to ask for permission to use the meetinghouse as a refuge. . . . He took his family and nearby members to the meetinghouse. In the torrential rain in the middle of the night, Bishop Lagos then ran to the homes of the rest of the ward members and evacuated them to the meetinghouse. . . .
“‘At 1 a.m., we filled the meetinghouse; it was a terrible experience. We had 220 people in the meetinghouse.’ The rain continued for two more days and the people waited with little to eat. . . . The people forgot their usual worries and thought only about survival.
“After the storm abated, they learned their entire neighborhood had been washed away. Where homes stood a few days earlier was now a field of mud. . . . Some 1,200 people were killed in this area” (“Each Person Felt Closer to God,” Church News, Nov. 21, 1998, 10).
Discuss how the steps taken by local leaders in this situation helped to save and bless lives. Ask participants what else local leaders could have done to prepare for or respond to this emergency (use the sample Ward Emergency Preparation and Response Plan, accompanying this lesson, to guide the discussion).
Give participants a copy of the Ward and Stake Emergency Preparation and Response Plans for this lesson. Invite participants to use the guidelines to create or update their own plan. Encourage bishops and stake presidents to make assignments in their next welfare committee meeting to ensure that these plans are carried out during an emergency. Remind them to plan ways to teach members how to prepare themselves for emergencies.