The congregations, institutions and organizations of the Episcopal Diocese of New York responded valiantly and commendably to the disaster that befell New York City on September 11, 2001. The comprehensive outreach by the national Episcopal Church and the Diocese, however, was a product of quick thinking and heart-felt concern rather than preparedness. Bishop Mark Sisk created a Disaster Response Team to prepare Diocesan response in the face of future crises.

The Disaster Response Team has various functions: to outline a plan of action in response to disaster; to initiate the response when a disaster has occurred; to provide resources to congregations about preparing their own disaster response plans; and to offer information and insight for other dioceses and any interested groups.

As Bishop Sisk explained, “We have come to realize how essential it is to develop a Disaster Response Plan in order to prepare us to face whatever possible crises may be on our horizon.”

The Disaster Response initiative is supported by the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Church Pension Group, Episcopal Relief and Development, and Episcopal Charities.

The members of the team are Bishop Sisk; the Rev. Canon Andrew Dietsche, Canon for Pastoral Care; the Rev. Thomas Faulkner; Dall Forsythe, Chief Administrative Officer; Neva Rae Fox, Director of Communications for the Diocese; Raquel Granda of Cathedral Community Cares; Peter Gudaitis, Executive Director and CEO of New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS); the Rev. Stephen Harding; the Rev. Lyndon Harris, co-chair; the Rev. Mabel Lewis; the Rev. Mark Hummell of Episcopal Charities, co-chair; Archdeacon Michael Kendall; the Rev. Canon Storm Swain; and the Rev. Deborah Tammearu.

As a leader in the September 11 relief efforts at St. Paul’s Chapel in Manhattan, Harris quickly became aware of the need for disaster response preparation. “We need to be intentional about preparedness,” he said.

Gudaitis, formerly of Episcopal Charities, added, “Because of 9/11, Episcopal Charities and the Diocese decided they really needed to take a harder look at how the Diocesan structure can help churches in disasters. The success of the response to 9/11 was due to the good instincts and good will of clergy and the laity rather than a skilled response.”

Other religious denominations have response measures in place in case of disaster, but the Episcopal Church does not, which Gudaitis called a “shortcoming.” He added, “Just giving people money is not enough. There is the stewardship of resources as well.”

The first step in addressing the need for a response team was reviewing the Diocesan relief efforts after September 11 to assess the failures and successes.

Next, team members researched the disaster plans of other dioceses around the country, but few had comprehensive plans in place, making the future EDNY plan important as a reference point for other Episcopal dioceses.

Another important step in disaster preparedness was having Diocesan clergy trained and accredited to serve as chaplains, allowing them to administer counseling, last rites and pastoral care in crisis situations.

Another important task for the team was developing a disaster relief manual for the Diocese and Diocesan congregations. The manual, which was sent to every congregation, covers everything from setting up your own disaster plan to creating a disaster supply kit to understanding the meaning of disaster and its life cycle.

A workshop about the Disaster Response Team will be held during the Diocesan Convention.