Dear Brethren and Friends,
As many of you brethren know, I grew up for 19 years in Joplin, Missouri. Earlier this year, my former hometown was terribly devastated by the worst tornado in America’s recorded history. Reading about it—seeing it on television— and hearing from dear family friends and from other local residents such as Mr. and Mrs. Karl Beyersdorfer have made it very real to me! For this was my hometown being struck— the place of most of my youthful memories.
The Feast of Trumpets is coming soon. As we in God’s Church think on the absolutely horrifying end-time events described in your Bible recording the prophesied “trumpet plagues” (Revelation 8–9), this should help us realize how helpless we human beings are in the face of what is coming. This should teach us a sense of humility, and remind us of the need to cry out to God more than ever. Certainly God promises, overall, to protect His people. But, as Herbert W. Armstrong many times reminded us, “God helps those who help themselves.” Our Creator wants us to do our part in preparing for sickness, disasters and tragedies. And we must all realize that God—while still protecting His people overall—did actually allow ancient Israel to go through the first three plagues He poured out on ancient Egypt (Exodus 7:20–8:23).
As Bible-believing Christians, we must prepare to do our part in protecting ourselves and our families during the tumultuous times leading up to the “Great Tribulation” and the trumpet plagues! So, I am “sounding the trumpet” now, to urge all of you dear brethren to realize that we really are now very close to that time! As we think about what could be just ahead for any of us, I want to share with you an excerpt from a very touching memo that was posted by a doctor right after the tornado that struck Joplin. This may help us visualize the actual type of horrific situations we may face—and for which we need to prepare—in the near future:
45 Seconds: Memoirs of an ER Doctor from May 22, 2011
My name is Dr. Kevin Kikta, and I was one of two emergency room doctors who were on duty at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, MO on Sunday May 22, 2011.
You never know that it will be the most important day of your life until the day is over.
The day started like any other day for me: waking up, eating, going to the gym, showering, and going to my 4:00 p.m. ER shift. As I drove to the hospital I mentally prepared for my shift as I always do, but nothing could ever have prepared me for what was going to happen on this shift. Things were normal for the first hour and half. At approximately 5:30 p.m. we received a warning that a tornado had been spotted. Although I work in Joplin and went to medical school in Oklahoma, I live in New Jersey, and I have never seen or been in a tornado. I learned that a “code gray” was being called. We were to start bringing patients to safer spots within the ED and hospital.
At 5:42 p.m. a security guard yelled to everyone, “Take cover! We are about to get hit by a tornado!” I ran with a pregnant RN, Shilo Cook, while others scattered to various places, to the only place that I was familiar with in the hospital without windows, a small doctor’s office in the ED. Together, Shilo and I tremored and huddled under a desk. We heard a loud horrifying sound like a large locomotive ripping through the hospital. The whole hospital shook and vibrated as we heard glass shattering, light bulbs popping, walls collapsing, people screaming, the ceiling caving in above us, and water pipes breaking, showering water down on everything. We suffered this in complete darkness, unaware of anyone else’s status, worried, scared. We could feel a tight pressure in our heads as the tornado annihilated the hospital and the surrounding area. The whole process took about 45 seconds, but seemed like eternity. The hospital had just taken a direct hit from a category EF-4 tornado.
Then it was over. Just 45 seconds. Forty-five long seconds. We looked at each other, terrified, and thanked God that we were alive. We didn’t know, but hoped that it was safe enough to go back out to the ED, find the rest of the staff and patients, and assess our losses.
“Like a bomb went off.” That’s the only way that I can describe what we saw next. Patients were coming into the ED in droves. It was absolute, utter chaos. They were limping, bleeding, crying, terrified, with debris and glass sticking out of them, just thankful to be alive. The floor was covered with about 3 inches of water, there was no power, not even backup generators, rendering it completely dark and eerie in the ED. The frightening aroma of methane gas leaking from the broken gas lines permeated the air; we knew, but did not dare mention aloud, what that meant. I redoubled my pace.
We had to use flashlights to direct ourselves to the crying and wounded. Where did all the flashlights come from? I’ll never know, but immediately, and thankfully, my years of training in emergency procedures kicked in. There was no power, but our mental generators were up and running, and on high-test adrenaline. We had no cell phone service in the first hour, so we were not even able to call for help and backup in the ED.
Brethren, throughout the New Testament, God warns us repeatedly that the final events—including Christ’s Second Coming—will come unexpectedly for most of the world. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is” (Mark 13:32–33). And the Apostle Paul warned the brethren in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–3, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” He then encourages us to “watch” and “be sober” (v. 6).
God wants us to be constantly alert and “ready” by drawing truly close to Him through prayer, meditation, Bible study and fasting, and by doing our part to take care of ourselves and our families as we see the shocking number of so-called “natural” disasters beginning to come down on America. We have seen terrible tornadoes in various parts of the Southeast, and in Midwestern cities like Joplin; we have seen terrible floods engulf vast areas of Queensland, Australia; we watched with horror the record-breaking earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the vast flooding down the entire Mississippi Valley here in America and the almost unprecedented wildfires sweeping across Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. So, it is incumbent upon us to realize that these are all preparatory events to humble God’s people and help us be more willing to listen to the message we are preaching—of Christ returning soon, and of our need to repent of personal and national sins. Similar events have happened— and will happen more than ever in coming years—throughout the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and especially in the areas where the descendants of ancient Israel have been scattered. Certainly, all over the world, events will grow worse in certain ways before Christ’s return.
We need to “cry out” and ask God for more of His Holy Spirit, and we need to give ourselves to God more than ever to use us in His Work today in preparing for the soon-coming Kingdom of God. Remember, in doing our part, we need to take proper action to protect ourselves and our families. Along with this letter is included (in the box below) a set of specific steps we all should be taking to better prepare ourselves physically for disasters ahead. Please study the instructions! Of course, this list is a general overview, and is not 100 percent complete—for example, it does not list the obvious need to have extra flashlights, and perhaps other non-electrical lighting sources, available in case of a long power outage. Consider extra warm clothing if you live in an area where you rely on vulnerable power sources for winter heat. Do use wisdom in implementing and extending your preparations beyond this list.
May God inspire us all to “take action” and to do our part in every way—yet seeking God more than ever so that we are “walking with God” and can then have His protection and His guidance in the days just before the final events of this age occur—as they surely will.
With Christian love,
Creating a Disaster Plan
One of the most important steps you can take in preparing for emergencies is to develop a household disaster plan.
- Learn about the natural disasters that could occur in your community from your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter. Learn how to prepare for each potential emergency and how to respond.
- Talk with your household about potential emergencies and how to respond to each. Talk about what you would need to do in an evacuation.
- Plan how your household would stay in contact if you were separated. Identify two meeting places: the first should be near your home, perhaps a nearby tree or a telephone pole where you could meet if your home were on fire; the second should be away from your neighborhood in case you cannot return home.
- Pick a friend or relative who lives out of the area for household members to call to say they are okay.
- Draw a floor plan of your home. Mark two escape routes from each room.
- Post emergency telephone numbers by telephones. Teach children how and when to call 911.
- Make sure every member of your household knows how and when to shut off water, gas and electricity at the main switches. Consult with your local utilities if you have any questions.
- Take a first aid and CPR class. Local American Red Cross chapters can provide information. Official certification by the American Red Cross provides “good Samaritan” law protection for those giving first aid.
- Review property insurance policies before disaster strikes—make sure policies are current and be certain they meet your needs (type of coverage, amount of coverage, and hazard covered—flood, earthquake).
- Be certain that all your health insurance policies are current and meet the needs of your household.
- Consider ways to help neighbors who may need special assistance, such as the elderly or the disabled.
- Make arrangements for pets. Pets are not allowed in public shelters, though “service animals”— for those who depend on them—are allowed.
Disaster Supply Kits
Assembling the supplies you might need following a disaster is an important part of your disaster plan. You should prepare emergency supplies for the following situations:
- A disaster supply kit with essential food, water, and supplies for at least three days— this kit should be kept in a designated place and be ready to “grab and go” in case you have to leave your home quickly because of a disaster, such as a flash flood or major chemical emergency. Make sure all household members know where the kit is kept. Consider having additional supplies for sheltering or home confinement for up to two weeks.
- You should also have a disaster supply kit at work. This should be in one container, ready to “grab and go” in case you have to evacuate the building.
- A car kit of emergency supplies, including food and water, to keep stored in your car at all times. This kit would also include flares, jumper cables and seasonal supplies.
The basic items that should be in a disaster supply kit are water, food, first-aid supplies, tools and emergency supplies, clothing and bedding, and specialty items. You will need to change the stored water and food supplies every six months, so be sure to write the date you store it on all containers. You should also re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your household changes. Keep items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supply kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as an unused trashcan, camping backpack or duffel bag.
—Excerpted from Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Administration, pp. 4–10.