Program Description
Regional Mass Care Citizen Preparedness and Emergency Human Services Symposia.

Rationale and Objectives:
Faith-based Organizations (FBO’s) with disaster missions help make real decisions in a local/regional response to human needs and carry on the necessary work of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery during a disaster. Within the context of the Faith-based Organization Initiative, local communities will be better equipped to take ownership of, and responsibility for, the response and recovery for the organization itself, their membership, and other impacted citizens or organizations. Governor Matt Blunt has created this initiative and has asked the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to partner with MU Extension to provide churches across the state with information about how to develop an external ministry focused on emergency human services.

This Faith-based Organization Initiative is designed to assist in planning, developing, and maintaining resources and an operational structure adequate to ensure that an immediate, identifiable response capacity is available during crisis events.  Through the FBOI Missouri hopes to build upon sheltering capacity from the present capacity of less than 1% (10,000) to 10% (500,000).  Additionally, the FBOI will introduce several human service areas within critical emergency management functions toward which FBOs may take additional steps, with appropriate training, that will make them an integral part of state and local disaster response and recovery resources.

There will be 11 regional training events – one event in each homeland security region and one in each of the two urban area security initiatives (UASIs) for a total of 11 training events.  Each training event will be conducted on two consecutive days with audiences derived from interested members of congregations/churches within the regional area.  These events will be called Missouri Regional Mass Care Citizen Preparedness and Emergency Human Services Symposia. 

In order to accomplish this initiative, the program has three primary objectives:

1. Individual and Family Preparedness for members of FBO’s
• Hand-off course for organization personnel to deliver Individual &Family Preparedness and “Ready in 3” training.
2. Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) for FBO’s.
• Hand-off course and planning templates to assist FBO’s in planning and implementing continuity of operations plans.
3. Community Emergency Human Services
• Churches will be able to choose an external ministry (mission) i.e. emergency sheltering, mass feeding operations, disaster volunteer management, debris removal, bulk distribution of relief supplies, survivor case management, long-term survivor recovery and multi-agency relief center management.
• Future training will be provided based on choices of the church’s external ministry(s).

Format for Delivery:
The table below illustrates the format of the 2 day event.  Start time is at 9AM to allow travelers within the region to reach the site.  End times for each day allow for persons to return to their homes.

Follow Up:
After all 11 symposia have been delivered MU will develop an electronic survey which will be emailed to all participants.  The intent of this survey will not be to receive feedback on the delivery of the symposia but rather the impact.  Questions asking if attendees have carried issues and opportunities for service back to their organizations as identified during the symposium will be asked.  Questions will be asked about future training needs on the part of the individuals and their congregations.  This survey will provide SEMA with data on interest areas and potential future trainings within the regions. 

Anticipated Outcomes:
Based on the stated objectives the desired outcome for this initiative is to have a greater local capacity to assist governments and non-governmental relief agencies in taking care of  emergency human needs when an emergency impacts the community or state.  By local churches choosing and training for an external ministry this will greatly enhance the human services capacity locally and state-wide.  Additionally churches will be strongly encouraged to train church members on how to prepare themselves and their families for emergencies directly affecting their homes and businesses.  Another key objective is to get churches to develop a continuity of operations emergency plan so the church can survive an emergency physically, operationally and fiscally.

Event Venues:
The symposia will be conducted within a region at a church who has volunteered the space to support the two day program.  Many churches will offer to feed up to 200 persons the lunch meal for the two days of the symposia.  The church will be reimbursed the cost of the meal and beverages.

Registration:
Registrations will be managed by MU Extension and will be accepted by fax or mail.  Each church within the region will be offered two spaces to attend the symposium for their region.  Each symposium can accept up to 200 attendees but no more so registration will close after 200 applications have been received.

Marketing:
Marketing and advertising of the symposia will be handled through numerous partner agencies to include MU Extension, SEMA and other state level partnerships.  Marketing materials and registrations will be developed and distributed by MU Extension through all the partner organizations.

Points of Contact:

Schedule as of 6/12/08

Flyers & Registration (pdf)