Storm prompts area ministers to get extra training to meet need

Out of last year's tornado in Jackson came the realization that another area of emergency preparedness was needed: spiritual support in the aftermath of a disaster.

Out of that recognition has grown an informal group of about a dozen local ministers who took special training from the American Red Cross so that in the event of another disaster, they can offer a systematic, long-term support system for victims.

The Rev. Clayton Smith, pastor of the Centenary United Methodist church in Cape Girardeau, recalled being pastor of a church in Springfield, Mo., in the mid-1980s when a tornado destroyed 100 homes and the council of churches in that area realized they were not prepared to respond immediately to help victims deal with their loss. In 1993 he found himself in the same situation in St. Louis when the Mississippi River flooded. When the twister hit Jackson a year ago, Smith approached the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance about the need for some training in crisis intervention.

The loosely organized group of clergymen works in conjunction with the hospital chaplains and has a plan in place for responding to the hospitals as well as to disaster sites.

"We need to be able to respond in a personal and professional way to provide resources and all that is needed," Smith said. "Emotional distress has to be released and relieved so healing can begin. That's why long-term support is so important."

Smith, who now serves on the Red Cross board of directors, says the disaster chaplains have been trained to help victims focus on and talk about their situation and offer them hope. The chaplains are also there for the first responders who often need to be talked through their own problems that come with seeing and handling devastation.

"If our needs are not met, we can't meet the needs of others," Smith said.

Smith said that sociologists have shown that following a crisis, victims need to focus on their feelings six months, a year, even 18 months later. Often, he said, a crisis can either break a faltering relationship or bring a family or a community closer.

In Jackson Wednesday evening, tornado survivors gathered together on the anniversary -- in Litz Park, which was damaged by the twister -- and gave thanks that no one was killed, that they and their families are now safe, and that their faith in God has been strengthened.

The Rev. John Rhodes, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Jackson, said his church, like Smith's and many others, has a disaster preparedness plan in place. The plan was in place prior to last year's tornado. A group from the church that operates chain saws gets together to practice on a regular basis, Rhodes said.

"Sometimes people who want to help don't know how," he said. "God allows us to do what needs to be done."

Whether it's preparing meals, clearing away brush or lending a sympathetic ear, these churches are ready now.

"But we pray hard it never happens," Smith said.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160