Rexburg, USA - On a mild October day, disaster seems unlikely to strike this Mormon outpost in Idaho but that does not stop residents from preparing for the worst.
In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many Americans have begun to ponder how they would cope with major disaster. But for many of Rexburg, Idaho's 22,000 residents -- roughly 90 percent of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the question of who will provide if calamity strikes has long been settled.
A decades-old Mormon practice of storing one year's supply of food for each family member has been expanded to include the purchase of emergency-related equipment and a recommendation to have health, life and property insurance.
"There was a time when we were considered kooky survivalists," said attorney Greg Moeller, unsalaried head of a group of congregations, known as a stake, in Rexburg. "Now perceptions have changed."
Storing emergency supplies is linked to a church doctrine by founder Joseph Smith: "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." Additionally, Mormon leaders say persecution of early members of the church, established in the 19th century, helped create a tradition of preparing for emergencies.
A church that advises its 13 million members to prime themselves for disaster is poised to provide for others, its leaders say, adding that the broader society would benefit from adopting its model. They point to trucks loaded with food and hygiene kits the church sent to the Gulf Coast after Katrina struck and before government agencies arrived.
Residents of Rexburg, home of Brigham Young University-Idaho, have some understanding of what hurricane victims have suffered. The town was nearly destroyed in 1976 when the Teton Dam failed, flooding 300 square miles (777 square km), killing at least 11 and causing $1 billion in damage.
The flood claimed the house of Dean Arnold, 84. "I lost everything but the people from the church came from all over Utah and western Idaho with their food and other supplies and we had plenty," he said.
Web sites maintained by the church contain hundreds of pages of information about types of food and drink to store. One site provides an interactive calculator to help families determine how much food is required for each member.
Similarly, government and disaster agencies offer a wealth of information on Web sites about emergency preparedness. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is charged with educating the public about personal planning and preparedness, but it is unclear if its message has reached a mass audience.
SELF RELIANCE
By contrast, Mormon admonitions about preparedness mesh with a prime church directive that members be self-reliant.
When the Bush administration promoted faith-based initiatives, officials at church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, declined to apply for government funding to help fuel the church's multimillion-dollar welfare program.
Stretching across 13 acres (5.3 hectares) in downtown Salt Lake City, the church's Welfare Square contains food and milk-processing plants as well as canneries and an employment center.
Idaho Falls, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Rexburg, is home to one of church's 108 food storehouses across the United States and Canada. Like Welfare Square, the Idaho Falls facility has a cannery manned by volunteers and maintains warehouses stacked with goods ranging from chicken-noodle soup to strawberry jam.
Charles Olsen, the Idaho Falls facility manager, said the practice of producing at church-owned farms the food it offers to the needy and to members to store for emergencies is another example of "practicing what it preaches."
"We tell our members to rely on themselves, not government aid, so it's only natural the church doesn't accept government assistance," he said.
The storehouse allows church members to pack goods for storage and provides staples such as bulk grains and dried fruit. Labels indicate nutritional value and shelf life.
Doyle Batt, who heads a 3,000-member stake in Idaho Falls, said his family maintains a year's supply of food and 72-hour kits with essentials for emergencies. Batt says he often reminds members to prepare for calamities.
"We're hearing about major catastrophes with greater frequency -- famines in Africa, the tsunami in Asia, now hurricanes in this country," he said.
Katherine Isaacs and her husband recently made the 10-hour drive to Idaho Falls from their eastern Montana home to package food for storage and to fill food orders for members of their congregation. "I think we're going to need it very soon, if not for ourselves, for others," Isaacs said.