When flooding reaches a community, a church can become one of the first places people call. That is a gift — and it can feel overwhelming. The first 72 hours are not a test of how much activity a church can generate. They are a chance to be calm, safe, connected, and useful.
This guide is a starting point, not emergency management advice. Follow official directions, do not enter unsafe properties, and let local leaders name the real need. Thy Kingdom Response exists to help churches serve through trusted relationships, not to send people into a crisis without coordination.
Hours 0–12: establish safety and one clear point of contact
Before a church posts, collects donations, or sends volunteers, make sure leaders and their immediate households are safe. Then name one first-call leader and one backup. Their job is not to do everything. Their job is to receive information, keep a simple record, and make sure the next message is clear.
- Follow official guidance. Check municipal, emergency, and public-health updates before inviting anyone into an affected area.
- Use one communications channel. A single phone number, group, or inbox prevents conflicting instructions and duplicated work.
- Write down what is known and unknown. Separate confirmed needs from rumours or good intentions.
- Protect people before property. No task is worth entering a hazardous building, driving through closed roads, or exposing an unprepared volunteer to contaminated water.
Hours 12–24: check on people before gathering supplies
A church’s most distinctive asset is not a warehouse. It is relationships. Start with people who may have fewer options: seniors living alone, families without transportation, medically vulnerable neighbours, newcomers, single parents, and anyone already carrying grief or instability.
Use a simple care list. Ask: Are you safe? Do you have a place to stay? What would be useful today? Who else should we check on? Listen without promising what has not yet been coordinated.
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Hours 24–48: turn information into one practical plan
Once patterns emerge, decide what the church can actually carry for the next day. It might be meals, transportation, a phone tree, a place to charge devices, a coordinated cleanup team, or simply someone available to listen. A smaller promise kept with dignity is better than a large promise that creates confusion.
- Name the need in plain language: who needs help, what kind, and by when.
- Match tasks to capacity: leaders coordinate, skilled people take skilled work, and everyone else supports safely.
- Coordinate with neighbouring churches and established responders before duplicating a service already in motion.
- Set the next check-in time, even if the answer is simply, “We are still listening and will update at 6pm.”
Hours 48–72: mobilize volunteers without creating a second emergency
A clear volunteer roster is more useful than an unplanned crowd. Ask people to share their phone number, availability, skills, transportation, equipment, and whether they can bring a team. That lets churches and larger organizations call on the right hands when a safe opportunity opens.
For the current Lincoln focus, people can join the Lincoln volunteer roster. We want that list to be useful to local churches and established response partners — including Samaritan's Purse, Mennonite Disaster Service, and Team Rubicon — when they need local capacity.
- Do not self-deploy. Wait for a clear assignment and safety expectations.
- Bring the right gear. Only bring equipment you are qualified and invited to use.
- Protect dignity. Do not share photos or stories of affected neighbours without clear consent.
- Plan for the long road. The quieter weeks often need meals, rides, follow-up calls, referrals, and patient friendship.
Build the next 72 hours before the next flood
After the immediate pressure eases, take thirty minutes to record what helped, what got stuck, and who should be involved next time. Then use the free Church Readiness Check to turn those observations into a simple plan. Preparedness is not fear. It is choosing clarity before your neighbours need it.