Natural Disasters

“Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.” (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23)

“He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.” (Psalm 105:32)

All the windows light up at once.  A few seconds later "BOOM! BOOM!" shakes the house, followed by a long "Rumble!"  Some of the children run to hiding places, while others head for windows to see the show.  Thunderstorm can be both frightening and fascinating:

   1. Photos of rolling clouds and flashes of lightning have a beauty all their own in a display of raw power.

   2. The lengthening funnel of a descending tornado is both transfixing and terrifying.

   3. The "rat-a-tat-tat" of hail on the roof makes you thankful you're inside, while kids can't wait to run outside and collect hailstones.  I know of at least one boy who kept his hailstone collection in the freezer.

The thunder of thunderstorms starts with friction between turbulent bodies of air moving in different directions.  This friction creates static electric charges.  When the static is discharged, it does so explosively with a bang, literally.  The discharging of static can continue for miles, creating a long, rolling rumble.  Thunderstorms can also cause torrential rain and flooding.

Lightning is a spark, the discharge of static electricity that is usually between clouds.  It is beneficial when it creates nitric acid which comes down in rain to enrich the soil.

Sometimes, however, the discharge is between the clouds and the ground.  With up to a billion volts in one lightning bolt, the potential damage is enormous.  The heat of lightning can start fires.  The rapid rise in temperature can become an explosion, and the sudden massive electric discharge can damage or destroy electric and electronic devices.

Many years ago, the dad of a friend of mine had his house hit by lightning.  It completely fried the breaker panel and burned every wire in the house.  It even traveled through the walls and left a burned outline where his dad had hung his old dog tags on a nail.   

Even churches are not immune to lightning.  In fact, a tall spire or steeple can act like a lightning rod.  Every church needs to have lightning arrestors (aka lightning rods) to prevent damage from a lightning strike.  A well-designed and constructed lightning arrestor carries the charge to the ground, bypassing the building itself.

There can be more than just structural damage.  The electric surge generated by a lightning strike can damage electronics such as those controlling a church organ.  The strike doesn't have to be a direct hit to create a surge, just in the neighborhood.  Our churches need surge protectors for electronics, especially the computers, the media complex, and security systems.

The turbulence of a thunderstorm lifts raindrops to very high altitudes to freeze, lets them down to collect more water, up again for more freezing.  The cycle keeps repeating until the swollen, frozen rain drops fall as sleet or hail.  The difference between sleet and hail is the size of the hailstones. Sleet is more like icy sand, while hailstones are larger.  The stones can cause damage proportionate to their size.  Damage can be to roofs and windows on buildings, but vehicle damage is more common.  Sometimes, as in the seventh plague on Egypt (See Exodus 9:18-26), hail can be deadly.

If someone at the church can get church vehicles under cover when a hailstorm is expected, it can prevent some damage.  Having a covered entry or drop-off can provide people a safe place to go if a hailstorm hits while they are outside.

The most threatening accompaniment to a thunderstorm is a tornado.  Some tornadoes form outside of thunderstorms.  These are the whirlwinds frequently referred to in the Bible.  A small EF-1 twister can overturn sheds, cause minor damage to roofs, break off tree branches, and knock down a power line or two.  EF-5 tornadoes are monster storms with incredible power to do damage.

Most industrial, commercial, and governmental buildings in tornado-prone area have tornado shelters.  Many areas in the nation have tornado sirens to warn entire neighborhoods of twisters.  There’s a tornado siren a few blocks away from our house.  Once a week it sounds off as a test to make sure it’s working alright.

Churches should have places which can be used as tornado shelters.  Your church should also have a weather radio to warn of severe weather.  If a tornado warning is received for your area, all persons in the church should go to a safe area (there may be more than one for a large church).

Sheltering-in will be a smoother operation if the congregation has had a tornado drill.  If not for the whole church, at least the leaders should have drilled in directing people to the safe places when a tornado warning is received or a tornado is sighted.  There have been several instances when lives in a church were saved because everyone was in a safe area when the tornado hit the church building.

If the church has a basement, the corridor there can serve as a tornado shelter.  This is even better if there are windowless classrooms extending into a hill.  This means that more people can be sheltered safely.  Other considerations are doors opening inward.  This means that the door can be opened after a tornado strike, even if there is debris on the other side.  Pry bars kept in the shelter area can be used to pry loose anything blocking the exit.  When dark clouds roll in and the sky rumbles, beware.  There is danger ahead. Know what's coming and be prepared.  

Here's a summary of how to protect the flock:

A. Protecting people, buildings, and systems from lightning:

   1. Have lightning rods/arrestors properly installed. Check grounding for integrity.

   2. Install surge suppressors for all electronics in the church as well as for the entire electrical wiring.

   3. Urge people to stay inside and away from electrical equipment during a severe thunderstorm

B. Protecting people and vehicles from hail:

   1. Provide covered areas for church vehicles.

   2. Provide a covered entry or drop-off area, maybe also a pavilion or gazebo.

C. Protecting from tornadoes:

   1. Identify or build tornado shelters in the church.

   2. Have shelter door(s) open inward.

   3. Have pry bars in shelters.

   4. Have and monitor a weather radio.

   5. Plan and conduct tornado drills.

   6. Have supplies for treating injuries.