Faiths, nonprofits are ready to help in disasters
By Mary Stamp
Systems can and do work. When they do, they save lives, making people ready to lend support to those needing assistance in major disasters, like the recent wildfires across Washington.
Firefighters, other first responders and volunteers with expertise rushed to the scenes as flames spread. Many had gone to the Colville Confederated Reservation when major fires erupted there. As they fought flames, the tribal leaders began to help people evacuate and provide food.
River Warrior Society, a nonprofit that usually focuses on building canoes and organizing river journeys with area tribes, began organizing drives and connecting people on their Facebook page to receive food and supplies for families impacted by the Modrite Fire near Inchelium sparked by lightning on July 17. They continued as other fires broke out. They knew the territory and could deliver donations to strategic locations.
The River Warrior Society and Həłmxiłp Indigenous Birth Justice coordinators Twa-le Abrahamson Swan, Faith Zacherle Tonasket and Crystal Lee Conant provided direct assistance, deliveries and support to elders and vulnerable community members—short-term lodging, gas assistance, donated furniture and clothes, referral to services for the Colville Confederated and Spokane tribes.
That's what nonprofit and faith communities do.
As flames spread in Spokane urban areas, calls went out through the first responders' channels to Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia and across the U.S. California was designated to organize the response in Spokane because other areas of Washington were burning.
Quickly firefighters, air crews, emergency medical teams and law enforcement arrived.
Evacuations were traumatic and may have seemed chaotic, but most people left when asked to evacuate or when their neighborhood's electricity was cut.
Of the 67,000 who evacuated, only 600 went to Red Cross emergency shelters, Mark Finney, executive director of Thrive International, learned from involvement in a network of calls because Thrive offered space to dozens of families. Two displaced households responded as of Aug. 26.
"Most were welcomed in the homes of family, friends and faith communities—or went to hotels," he said, heartened that Spokane has such a network of folks ready to welcome people in their homes.
There were no deaths reported.
Close behind the first responders are those who know how to help local communities respond to immediate needs. Along with systems of trained national, state, county, city, community response, there are nonprofit and faith groups who respond to individual and community needs every day.
They were ready to offer food, safe water and temporary shelter—opening their buildings.
Along with them were crews managing evacuation routes and turning off power to prevent spread of the fire.
The American Red Cross, which helps in house fires, has people trained to respond in disasters. The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, Second Harvest of the Inland Northwest, SNAP, Goodwill—to name a few—are also ready for quick response on a large scale.
Early on, the Spokane County Emergency Management (SCEM) helped communities open a disaster recovery center where survivors come to find aid, file claims and coordinate efforts.
A resource gathering Aug. 4 at the Shadle Park High School drew more than 1,500 agency representatives. About 75 representatives of government agencies, nonprofits and businesses sat at tables from Aug. 6 to 12, also at Shadle Park High School, the designated Disaster Assistance Center.
They offered a combination of short-and long-term response efforts by the Spokane County Emergency Management, Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, Spokane Public Schools, the Washington Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters, Innovia and other community partners.
In subsequent weeks, enrollment began with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state Department of Health and Social Services and programs of fire assistance through fire stations.
The Adventists Community Services and SCEM collaborated to open a central warehouse for donated supplies for fire relief on the second floor at the eastern entry of the the Northtown Mall.
Faith and nonprofit communities have lists of members and, for most, the first action was to reach out with calls and texts to check on their members.
Cody Natland, pastor of Ellensburg United Methodist Church (UMC) and on the Inland District United Methodist superintendent team, contacted pastors and Spokane area churches during the fires and initial response asking clergy who in their churches evacuated or lost homes.
As evacuations began, Chabad of Spokane reached out to members to identify immediate needs, learn who evacuated or lost homes and establish a fund to help them.
Other churches and faith communities offered their spaces for overnite shelters, day dropin centers to escape the smoke and recharge technology.
Meggan Manlove, bishop of the Northwest Intermountain (NWIM) Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said that homes of seven members of ELCA congregations were destroyed by fires along with homes of friends, co-workers and relatives. All ELCA churches were still standing.
The Holy Temple Church of God in Christ has surrounded a member with care, accompanying her now and committed accompany her family for the long term.
Members of the nondenominational Riverside Real Life Church on North Nine Mile Rd. learned on their church's Facebook page that their church had been burned down on Aug. 1. The next Sunday, Valley Real Life offered their space for the Riverside church, which is one of their church plants, to come and worship.
In addition, on the Colville Confederated Reservation, the Indian Shaker Church in Nespelem was destroyed in July in the Kaiser Canyon Fire.
Systems are in place to channel aid where it is most needed. Local faith groups set up disaster relief funds or directed people to give through their regional and national channels, which are in place to aid those most in need and have a broad picture of the needs as they respond to fires and floods in other disaster areas.
There are local and regional people in many faith groups responsible for disaster assistance. Many are already involved with the Washington Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (WA VOAD), which is in place for the long-term recovery.
An article on page 8, shares more details on WA VOAD and the United in Crisis-Greater Spokane, two agencies that coordinate local faith communities and volunteers to help individuals and families recover from community crises.
Mindy Smith, director of church engagement at Whitworth University, gathered 10 Spokane clergy and faith leaders to learn about Pasadena's Clergy Coalition after the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County from two pastors who shared about their faith-community disaster response through building a coordinated, relational sustainable system of care.
Pasadena's Clergy Coalition organized around 4Cs: 1) cash as flexible financial resources, 2) care including of community leaders, 3) clear, centralized communication, and 4) collaboration of congregations and nonprofits.
They shared how disaster response begins with much energy but moves to fatigue, grief and conflict without coordination.
Years of sermons and scripture studies prepare people in faith communities to help their neighbors, repair the earth, donate funds and open the door when someone in need knocks needing food, shelter, clothing, hygiene kits, emergency supplies, referrals and compassionate caring.
It's what their systems are in place to do.
While many said how amazed they were at the readiness to respond and the coordination of efforts, that's what the faith and nonprofit systems are set up to do, collaborating with federal, state, county and city disaster response systems that provide immediate and long-term response.
The Long Term Response Team, which was set up during the Oregon Road fire in Elk and the Grey Fire in Medical Lake and Silver Lake in 2023, is still in place to help. Its term has been extended another seven years.
Coordination is the key. Everyone wants to help. Those who have done it before help people know what others are doing and how to volunteer in effective ways. There may be duplicate efforts, but in such a massive disaster, multiple efforts are needed.
They just need to communicate. That's what VOAD, United in Crisis and others do.
See the stories with more information on those efforts.
See the story with some specific responses on page 7.
See Sounding Board with comments of local faith and nonprofit leaders on page 14.
