Level 4

The stake

The stake coordinates the wards, holds the radio link to Springville City's Emergency Operations Center and to Church headquarters, and asks for help from outside the region when what's needed is more than we have.

Who directs, and in what order

Stake president
First counselor in the stake presidency
Second counselor in the stake presidency
High councilor over emergency preparedness
Stake emergency preparedness specialist
Other high councilors, by seniority

After ensuring their own families are cared for, any of the first five convene at the stake center or the stake command post.

Priority actions

Make sure assistance is reaching the injured and endangered. Encourage wards to field mobile response teams — two or more 4-wheel-drive vehicles, two to four people each, carrying FRS radios and a ward map marked to the city's notation. Marked ward maps come to the stake emergency preparedness specialist at the stake center, who transfers the information onto the large county-provided maps, which go to civic leaders.
Account for all families and help them reunite, with particular attention to special needs.
Inform the chairman of the regional welfare committee of conditions in the stake and request assistance. If the chairman is unavailable, contact the Area Presidency or Area Welfare Administration at Church headquarters.
Arrange shelter — keeping people as close to their property as possible, with relatives, friends, and neighbors, before public shelters or a meetinghouse.
Assess damage to Church property and take steps to protect it.
Assess damage to homes and determine how neighbors can assist one another.
Help wards organize volunteer relief teams under civic direction with CERT-trained help, without disrupting ward and stake emergency operations.
Help wards provide for emotional and spiritual needs, including care of young children whose parents are injured or engaged in response.
Avoid establishing a shelter in a meetinghouse unless appropriate civil authorities request it.

Between emergencies

Stake specialist: Called to assist the stake welfare committee. Trains and supplies information to the ward emergency preparedness specialists, who assist their ward councils.
Quarterly: Stake preparedness meetings for ward specialists — home safety, food storage, emergency communication, and other planning. Ward specialists report ward readiness back at least quarterly.
Annually: Distribution of the resident letter and emergency response survey, replenishment of lost signal cards, and refreshed copies of the city Emergency Preparedness Manual.
Maps: The regional welfare committee provides the stake two county maps each year, used by the stake specialist to mark problem areas during an emergency.
First quarter, every year: Stake council reviews ward plans, ward readiness levels and lists of available relief resources (including those for preventing and relieving emotional trauma), and the methods for communicating with wards and other stakes if telephone service is lost.