Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

Are you ready?

Anne Kueteman
Diocesan Disaster Recovery Coordinator
Cell Phone: (405) 306-3705
Email: [email protected]

May 2013 Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma
(Photo by: Gabriel Garfield - NOAA Affiliate)

In May of 2013, a series of deadly tornados swept through the state leaving a wide path of disaster, destruction and devastation. Due to the severity of these storms, President Obama declared a major disaster area in the state and ordered federal aid to support state and local recovery efforts. As support poured in from throughout The Episcopal Church, across the country and around the world, the Diocese provided financial assistance to many families directly affected by the storms.

As part of those early recovery efforts, representatives from Episcopal Relief & Development arrived in the Diocese to assist with surveying disaster areas, discussing relief efforts currently underway and addressing plans to develop long-term assistance.

After visiting with clergy and lay leaders of congregations, city and county officials, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and victims directly impacted by the tornados, the Diocesan staff and Episcopal Relief & Development began crafting a plan for effective and sustainable long-term disaster preparedness and recovery. Out of these discussions, a long-term strategy for the Diocese was developed.

A crucial piece of this strategic plan was the addition of a diocesan staff position responsible for overseeing the operations and coordination of the disaster preparedness and recovery efforts throughout the Diocese. This position was partially supported by a generous grant from Episcopal Relief & Development. Subsequently, Anne Kueteman was hired to serve as the Diocesan Disaster Recovery Coordinator. In her time with the Diocese, Anne has helped numerous congregations and institutions create effective and sustainable disaster preparedness strategies, coordinate on the ground recovery and rebuilding plans and assist in efforts to become Red Cross Resource Centers or Partner Shelters.

In 2014, efforts for disaster recovery in the diocese were centered in the following counties: Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian, Lincoln and Pottawatomie. When the wildfires struck Logan County, the diocese was there with aid; when the tornado plowed through Quapaw, the diocese was once again represented and assisted with rebuilding.

From March to June of 2015, disaster struck Oklahoma again, the likes of which, even the most seasoned emergency manager had not seen before: tornadoes and flooding rains due to an El Nino year, then Tropical Storm Bill. There were thousands of families affected and nearly ¾ of all Oklahoma counties were deemed Federal disaster areas. Over 300 families across Oklahoma were assisted by the diocese through gift cards and other resources, and those recovery efforts will continue in the form of Long-Term Recovery Committees, which the diocese helps fund. These recovery committees may be in effect for years.

The Diocesan Disaster Recovery Office continues to identify and address needs in all areas of the state, regardless of whether or not there is a local Episcopal church nearby. This philosophy has been appreciated many times over by those we have helped.

We continue to be vigilant, for, in Oklahoma, it is not a matter of “if” another disaster will hit, but “when”.