Severe Weather Response
Purpose: To provide a safe and organized response to a severe weather event that would require evacuation to an area of refuge during church services and after school activities.
Implementation: Implementing an evacuation will take more than one keyboardist, usher and sacristan designated for that mass. Any parishioner trained is expected to assist in one of the areas. The areas of refuge are highlighted in Yellow on the building diagram.
If weather and time permits, everyone on the left side of church will exit through the doors to the left of the sanctuary, back into the school through the first set of doors into the hall behind church and proceed to the refuge areas near the school office. Everyone on the right side of church will exit through the cry room doors. People needing assistance and anyone else will go into the hall between the cry room and the cafeteria. Others will proceed left through the hall to the areas near the school office.
If weather or time prohibits going outside, everyone will use the cry room lobby doors. If time or conditions do not allow an evacuation everyone should be instructed to seek refuge between the pews and protect their heads.
During Church Services: An evacuation will be initiated by Father Gries or anyone trained in this procedure if there is a visiting priest. Confer with the visiting priest before proceeding. The evacuation will be carried out by predetermined assignments of Liturgical Ministers to direct occupants to the areas of refuge; school hallways, faculty work room, aftercare room.
Liturgical Minister Duties and Assignments:
Keyboardist: Retrieve the key to the doors leading to the school from the keybox mounted on the wall to the left at the bottom of the stairs and proceed to the school office area.
Ushers: Determine if it is safe to exit through the doors to the left of the sanctuary. If these doors are to be used one usher positions at the church doors and another at the school doors to direct occupants to the refuge areas. If it is not safe to use the doors to the left, everyone will be directed through the cry room doors.
Sacristan: Position at the cry room doors and direct those needing assistance and others to the hallway between the cry room and the cafeteria. At the same time others not needing assistance can proceed to the left out the cry room and toward the school office area.
Others trained in this procedure: Position along the evacuation routes and assist as needed.
After School Activities and events: Meetings, Scouts, Sports, Theater Group etc. Whoever authorizes the use of the facility will make the person responsible for the organization aware of the campus diagram and areas of refuge.