Disaster
September 2018
Hurricane Florence
After the flood, C. J. Caufield met people grieving ruined homes and others troubled that theirs had survived. His account makes room for questions a chaplain cannot answer.
Wilmington, North Carolina A first-person account from the Police Chaplain Project oral-history archive.
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THE ACCOUNT
A hospital opened a shelter for people with medical needs—work beyond its ordinary role. Chaplain C. J. Caufield encountered residents who had lost homes, people frustrated by bureaucracy and survivors troubled that their house alone remained standing.
“I wish I had an answer.”Chaplain C. J. Caufield
WHAT THIS DAY TAUGHT
Lessons to carry forward
Disaster expands every job description
Medical staff were asked to operate a special-needs shelter. Preparedness should anticipate that institutions and chaplains will inherit functions beyond normal practice.
Do not answer a question the person is living
Questions such as ‘Why was I spared?’ may be expressions of shock or guilt rather than requests for theology. Honest uncertainty gives the person room to continue.
Survivor guilt is not limited to death
A spared home on a ruined block can create guilt and isolation. Outreach should include people whose visible losses appear smaller.
Frustration needs a witness
Insurance and relief bureaucracy become part of the crisis. Listening, validating and helping someone identify the next practical step can restore a measure of control.
THE FIELD BRIEF
For the next command meeting
Before
- Define special-needs shelter partnerships.
- Train for spiritual questions without forced answers.
- Map insurance, relief and housing referral resources.
During
- Look beyond visibly injured survivors.
- Let people name anger and guilt without correction.
- Separate emotional presence from promises you cannot keep.
After
- Return after the emergency phase becomes paperwork.
- Watch for isolation among apparently fortunate survivors.
- Support staff performing unfamiliar disaster roles.
Use this page to open a tabletop conversation. Adapt every action to local policy, incident command and the needs of the people involved.
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