Having been involved with multiple churches that have found themselves in the path of natural disasters, Reverend Louis Johnson has seen the importance of emergency preparedness to communities, according to an article in SF Gate. Whether by hurricane, flood, or tornado, the aftermath has often led people to his churches seeking help, in the form of either physical or emotional assistance, and he is seeking to encourage readiness among them to ensure those in need are met with the necessary aid. To support that, he’s actively working toward his Ph.D., with an intended dissertation on church emergency preparedness.
In speaking of his experience, Rev. Johnson talks of his time in Tuscaloosa, when the city was hit by a tornado in 2011. “The roof was peeling off our sanctuary. Our education building had the windows blown out and the sanctuary was turned on its foundation. It was amazing how two buildings 12 feet apart, one could be destroyed and the other still standing,”Johnson told SF Gate about the damage to the church,
As people took stock of the situation, the damaged church quickly became a center of the relief effort. Says Johnson of the effort that went on for three weeks, “On one side of the building, people were dropping off donations,” he said. “People were sorting. Runners were running. Classrooms were used to sort. On the other side, people were coming and asking for help. It was very effective and efficient.”
Of the effort, says Johnson, “It wasn’t just physically grueling, it was emotionally and mentally grueling as well. To look out at what used to be homes and see people sifting through that looking for anything they can find, that was bad. We were physically feeding people’s stomachs, but we wanted to spiritually feed them too.”
Source:
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pastor-of-disaster-Minister-weathered-tornado-16143636.php
