"Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also moved and were shaken"(Psalm 18:7): Clergy, community liaison and Emergency Management. Lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes

Abstract

In this paper, we consider how religious leaders and Civil Defence authorities might collaborate to establish a two-way information conduit during the aftermath of a disaster. Using surveys and in-person interviews, clergy in different Christian denominations were asked about their roles in the earthquake, the needs of their congregations and the possibilities and obstacles to deeper collaboration with Civil Defence authorities.