Ordinary habits prepare for the extraordinary

“Compile a whole-house inventory, like your insurance agent told you to.” Those words of wisdom and experience come from Pastor Jeff Blackburn, Greensburg, Kan. Jeff has been-there-done-that when it comes to understanding the value of organizing household finances, records, and insurance plans. He faced the devastating and life-disrupting tornado that hit Greensburg in 2007.

“I stuffed the checkbooks, my wallet, and some cash into my ‘tornado bag’ we kept in the house before we went to the basement, so I didn’t have to find them afterward – which would have been impossible,” said Jeff. “My family and I have always packed a tornado bag whenever a tornado warning is issued. We don’t wait until the siren sounds, because then it might be too late – and it’s no time to be collecting the important stuff.

“That has been our practice since moving to Kansas in 1991, so that night was no different. I am so glad we had developed that discipline, although some people thought we were a little over-reactive – until May 4, 2007!”

On May 4, a tornado devastated the town of Greensburg and with it the sanctuary and parsonage of Greensburg Mennonite Church. They had only 30 minutes of warning beforehand.

Since anyone may experience household devastation – due to tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other trauma – Jeff believes readiness is a part of managing household finances.

“Compile a whole-house inventory, like your insurance agent told you. It will make filing an insurance claim simpler,” he said. “It can be a digital picture inventory or a list. It should be as complete as possible because it’s hard to remember everything you owned when it’s all gone. It’s tough to remember when you bought what and what you paid for it. Keep the list in your safe deposit box (something I didn’t have before the tornado). The bank was destroyed, but the safe was uncompromised. Passports, birth certificates, savings bonds, deeds should be in the safe deposit box.”

Jeff can tell you it’s tough to think of everything. “Store the file cabinet in the basement if you live in tornado country, and keep the important stuff in it. I was able to recover all my important papers because I did this a few years ago. I didn’t keep spare checks in the file cabinet, so they blew away.”

What about restoration after the storm? Jeff emphasizes renters’ insurance is a vital part of household financial management for pastors in a parsonage. “A renter’s policy always seemed an unnecessary expense, but I kept the policy,” he said. “When you lose nearly everything and have to replace all your belongings, such a policy is invaluable. Seventeen dollars per month pales compared to the settlement that has helped us replace everything. We lost all our furniture, linens, most of our clothing and shoes, personal items, decorating items, pictures, books – you name it.”

How one manages the household in normal times relates to readiness in the face of disruption as Jeff observed. “Living by a budget that is written on paper before a disaster may be another silent factor critical to survival.”

He wonders if sometimes disasters don’t create problems, but reveal them. People who had financial problems before the storm are still struggling, he said. “(They were) … only highlighted and exacerbated by disaster.”

Jeff and his family have been blessed with a congregation who cared for them during the rebuilding process with a steady salary and personal care. And, the Blackburns have been led to share their blessing with others around them who may not have had such a support network.

On Nov. 2, 2008, Greensburg Mennonite Church dedicated a new building. Pastor Jeff observed that beyond the storm, the congregation was “thriving and not merely surviving.” Life had changed, and so had they.

“Replacing everything has been an emotionally difficult process,” Jeff said. “When everything is gone and you’re still alive, material things do not mean much. We don’t want to replace everything. We have found we don’t need as much stuff to be content. Empty cabinets are a good thing.”