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The SPDR Web: Prepare – Respond – Recover: Tornado Edition

Rev. Libby Janes, SPDR Director

May 18, 2026


Recent Severe Tornadoes in the Synod of the Sun

April 2026 saw many tornadoes in the Synod of the Sun, including:


Communication & Collaboration

When disasters happen, communication is an important part of supporting churches in our synod. Preparing those relationships and networks in advance of a disaster is imperative. During an active tornado month this April, SPDR (Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery) appreciated the quick communication networks of the Oklahoma Soul Training group, the Oklahoma churches’ Signal group, and the emerging Oklahoma Presbyteries’ Disaster Recovery Team. Leaders from these groups were closely watching weather updates, quickly checked on their colleagues in Enid, and connected impacted community leaders with SPDR for any needed resources or support, within a few hours. These close relationships and communication networks can be a critical lifeline during disasters.  The importance of our interconnectedness is that every church may know they are cared for, and that they are never alone when disasters happen.


Tornado Relief Resource: Clean-up Buckets

A few days later, another tornado struck Mineral Wells, Texas. Commissioned Pastor Sharon Curry reached out to SPDR, and as Grace Presbytery’s regional leader, she promptly contacted on all of the church communities in her area to check on them. She recognized a need for clean-up support, and SPDR and the disaster teams of Grace, Tres Rios, Palo Duro, and Mission Presbytery rallied together to make sure the closest buckets to Mineral Wells – located quite centrally in Texas – could be identified. Churches around the state responded by hosting local clean-up bucket building events, and the Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center helped deploy buckets from storehouses at Camp Gilmont to support relief efforts. Thank you to all who helped join the conversation and who rallied to support this need!


Does your congregation have any clean-up buckets or hygiene kits stored in church storage closets in case of emergency? Consider hosting a kit assembly mission project at your church this summer, perhaps as a youth mission activity or VBS donation drive! Any additional kits can be sent to Church World Service storage centers, such as Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center in Paran, Arkansas; Camp Gilmont in Gilmer, Texas, or the Houston Food Bank in Houston, TX. Lists of kit supplies can be found here: https://cwskits.org/assemble-kits/

 

Expert Preparedness Advice

SPDR loves to tune into the podcast Weatherbrains for severe weather expert interviews. Frequently these experts discuss the sociology of how the public reacts to warnings, and this informs emergency managers’ and weather experts’ strategies for best informing the public. More precise warnings lead to people appropriately taking shelter, which protects more lives in severe weather situations.

On the recent Weatherbrains podcast (episode 1058), veteran meteorologist James Spann from Birmingham, AL reflected on the April 27, 2011 tornado Super Outbreak, when 62 tornadoes led to the tragic loss of 252 lives. Since this disaster, James Spann has dedicated his career to educating the public, especially schoolchildren, about tornado safety. Here is a tribute video James Spann posted recently in honor of the victims of the Super Outbreak. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqQHjPc2bag&t=1s)


James Spann explained, “we heard that what we (meteorologists) do is not enough” and that “If people don’t understand how tornado warnings are issued, they won’t reliably know when to take shelter. “Most people in 2011 did not understand how tornado warnings were issued; they thought tornado warnings were issued by counties, and that gave a bad perception of false alarms.”


In the podcast, James Spann offered his best tips for tornado safety, from his research and longtime dedication to interviewing people who have lost a loved one during a tornado:


  1. Don’t wait for tornado sirens to take shelter. James said he hears over and over, from heart-wrenching interviews with families who have lost loved ones: “A lot of people never heard the warning, because they thought they were going to hear the sirens, in their house, and they never heard it… You won’t hear a siren at 4:00 in the morning, in the middle of a raging storm that’s five miles away.” Instead, keep a weather radio turned on loud especially at night, and pay attention to tornado warning announcements.

  2. Wear a helmet while sheltering. James Spann explained the second most common reason people died during tornadoes was lack of helmet use. A batting helmet or a bike helmet can save a life from head trauma due to falling debris during severe tornadoes.

  3. Beware of complacency from false alarms: James Spann reflected, “In verbatims and research, over and over, people said, ‘I hear warnings all the time and nothing ever happens.’ ” If a tornado warning is a true occurrence in your local community, you need to be ready and to know when to take shelter.

  4. Respect the Polygon: Over the past several years, meteorologists have partnered with social scientists to learn how to better warn the public and incorporate human behavior into weather warning system delivery. “Respect the Polygon” is James Spann’s famous slogan. When meteorologists show colorful radar maps during severe weather coverage, the National Weather Service will use a brightly colored polygon to indicate areas of very high tornado risk. “Respect the Polygon” means that if your town or neighborhood is drawn inside this shape on a weather radar, you are in immediate danger and need to execute your severe weather plan. The goal is to minimize false alarms so people outside the threat zone don't panic, but this slogan demands that those inside the polygon take the threat seriously.


Teaching “Respect the Polygon” in schools is a priority for James Spann. He says, “I have to prove myself every day, and I’ve got schools booked into 2028. I do it every single day. Some days I’ll drive seven hours to go to one school for 45 minutes. You instill the ‘Respect the Polygon’ thing and all this stuff in their head and they take that back to their parents, and it spreads like wildfire. I can’t stress the importance of starting young and doing these school visits on a really regular basis… for me I thrive on it.”


Need help remembering this slogan? Check out this catchy “Respect the Polygon” remix.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMpruvtvm8&list=RDqiMpruvtvm8&start_radio=1


Long-term Tornado Recovery in Oklahoma

The Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery (SPDR), Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), and presbyteries also support local congregations and their communities through long-term tornado recovery. 


After other assistance from insurance and FEMA are exhausted, Long-Term Recovery Groups (“LTRGs”) support survivors through case management, and over time, a formal Unmet Needs Table may be formed, to support survivor recovery. Trained case managers carefully assess unmet needs among vulnerable community members, and present cases to a table of philanthropic organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, or faith-based organizations, such as Catholic Charities, the ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response, PDA (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), or the Mennonite Disaster Service – known in the disaster recovery space for their excellent rebuilding program of highly skilled volunteers – among other groups. These coalitions meet to hear case managers’ reports on unmet needs in the community, and case information is appropriately depersonalized to protect personal privacy. Groups will then ask questions and may voluntarily designate disaster recovery funds and collaborate together to support rebuilding projects to pursue the completion of survivor recovery.


With support from the presbyteries, the Synod of the Sun, and our national relief agency, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, local pastors support long-term recovery by representing the church on these boards. SPDR is proud of the multi-level commitment of the Presbyterian Church to support long-term recovery.


If your church is interested in supporting disaster recovery efforts, donations may be sent to your presbytery’s disaster team through your presbytery office, or to our national relief agency, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.


Disaster recovery collaboration among VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), Long-Term Recovery Group, and non-profit and faith-based organizations such as SPDR or PDA will be especially important as changes in FEMA structures and federal financial assistance after disaster, are expected. On May 7th, 2026 “The President’s Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency” released their Final Report and Recommmendations about changes to FEMA. That report is open for public comment until June 8, 2026 and can be accessed here: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/26_0507_fema%20review%20council_final%20report.pdf


For more information about disaster ministry and long-term recovery, or to let the Synod of the Sun Partnership for Disaster Recovery (SPDR) know when a disaster impacts your local community, please contact the SPDR Director, Rev. Libby Janes, at libby.janes@synodsun.org.

The Natural Hazards Center had a webinar recently commemorating the 15 year anniversary from the Joplin, Missouri tornado that occurred on May 22, 2011. Here is a link to these resources, and this week a recording and transcript from this webinar will be publicly available. This webinar recalled panelists' memories of the disaster and discussed impacts on tornado warning and recovery methods. One great highlight was 11 days after the tornado, the community was asked in a town meeting what they thought recovery would look like. A community organizer from Art Feeds, a children's art therapy program, also described the children's art project of expressing their hopes for community planning and reimagining recovery.    

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