Thousands of Evacuees from the California Wildfires Find Shelter at Area Churches

The heat is so intense the water evaporates before it hits the ground. The flames move so quickly that firefighters cannot stay out in front of it. Embers swirl like snowflakes starting new fires as far as half a mile away.

First on the list of FEMA recommendations for responding to a wildfire is to evacuate.

A quarter of a million people have done just that-leaving homes and belongings behind. Tonight they are seeking shelter-a place to regroup and to face the realities of what tomorrow will bring.

Those people will need to find a bed for the night and churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are mobilizing their resources and their space to provide a safe shelter.

"You try to find the time to discuss and plan for emergencies," reports one lay leader, "but the real thing always seems to take you by surprise."

When the time to act arrives, the time to prepare is over.

What does preparation for a fire storm look like?

According to FEMA, when the time to respond to wildfire arrives, the following tips should be considered-

1. Turn on all the lights to increase chances that the house will be seen through the smoke.

2. Leave the doors unlocked so that firefighters can get easy access to your home.

3. If you are unable to evacuate, stay in your home. Many fires will burn past a structure before the structure itself is consumed.

4. Staying in a car with the engine off and the windows rolled up is also generally safer than trying to outrun a wildfire. Metal gas tanks rarely explode.

(See FEMA recommendations for wildfires and other natural disasters at http://www.fema.gov/hazard/types.shtm).

Many of the efforts tonight and in the days to come will be well-intentioned if not completely coordinated. The legacy of Katrina is that even in the world's sole remaining superpower, citizens cannot rely on a government response characterized by speed, flexibility, and competence. The best efforts will often be local efforts; the most pressing needs met by people who live nearby.

In the next few hours and days emotions will run high, communication will be at a premium, and there will be scrambles for the supplies people suddenly finding themselves homeless will need. The fires will eventually be contained and die out and people will return to homes and businesses now turned to ashes. And they will begin to rebuild.

One of the most underreported and consistently effective nonprofessional responses to disasters such as these has come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint-the Mormons-who take as a fundamental precept a commitment to being prepared for emergencies. At a time when Mitt Romney's religion may be more than what most Americans can accept in a president, the doors in Mormon churches will be open to Mormons and non-Mormons alike. You may not get a cup of coffee and may have to step ouside for a smoke, but you'll be safe for the night. From Hurricane Katrina to the Asian tsunami to the recent earthquake in Peru, the Mormon church has been at the forefront of relief work and rebuilding. When the time to act arrives, the Mormons are consistently prepared to act.

And they are not alone.

Tonight churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples will be opened and bedrolls and blankets spread out over floors and pews. Food and drink will be served on paper plates and in plastic cups. It won't matter whether you've given a tithe or showed up recently. No one will check your theology or doctrinal beliefs. There will be no reciting a catechism before the hand of fellowship is extended.

For the night there will be a safe place to rest and to prepare for tomorrow. There will be a quiet sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. It's what is best about America's faithful. It is pure religion.