Catholic Charities serves as a resource for parish communities and families in times of disaster preparedness as well as recovery.  While not considered a first responder, Catholic Charities assists by connecting with state and community-wide resources in times of disaster.

• Connects parishes to local resources (shelters, FEMA grant funds, disaster case management, volunteer reception centers, local COADs (community organizations active in disaster)  

• Provides crisis consultation services to parishes impacted by disasters. 

• Supports parishes in helping individuals and families who have been directly impacted by disasters.

The purpose of this Disaster Preparedness and Response Planning Guide is to assist Archdiocesan staff, parishes, schools, and the Catholic community to be well prepared for a disaster and to guide collaborative relief efforts in response to whatever calamity may occur.  This guide is also intended to serve as a tool that parishes, schools, and church institutions can use to assist in preparing, developing, implementing, and monitoring disaster response plans specific to each institution’s needs.

Disaster planning is a collaborative effort involving a continuous process of assessment, evaluation, and preparation.  It is a process that requires research, analysis, decision-making, teamwork, implementation, and updating.  A disaster plan is not a single document and is never “finalized”; rather, it is a “living” document.

The goals of this plan are to (a) reduce human suffering, (b) adequately protect sacramental records and parish property, and (c) promote outreach efforts to assist our neighbors outside of the Archdiocese affected by disasters.  Being prepared can greatly lessen the traumatic effects experienced both during and after a disaster.  Most importantly, proper planning can save lives.

This guide is divided into three sections:

1. The main section consists of disaster preparation information and worksheets for the Parish Disaster Committee to complete.
2. The second section contains forms to complete with information particular to the parish (Appendix I).  These completed forms will become the Parish Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan.
3. The third section contains tools for Family Preparedness (Appendix II). 

• Preparedness Training for Community-Based Organizations
• Ten Things for a Parish to Think About Before a Disaster
• Light Our Way – A Guide For Spiritual Care In Times Of  Disaster  (English)
  • Haga clic aquí para español 

Alert Iowa is the State of Iowa’s official emergency notification system. Through Alert Iowa, State and local officials are able to utilize a single, statewide notification system that provides local control of how and when to disseminate emergency and public safety messages to residents. Learn if your county is participating and sign up now to receive free alerts via text message, email, and/or voice message.

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SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS

Sign up to receive alerts in your county. Citizens can sign up using three different processes.

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