Baptist relief efforts are well underway in North Carolina, Georgia and other impacted states in the Southeast that have been impacted by flooding and damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The latest death toll is more than 160 people across six states, according to the latest reports.
Amid the damage and destruction, Baptists continue to provide needed support for those struggling in the hardest-hit areas of the Southeast.
On Tuesday (Oct. 1), Georgia Baptists announced they have allocated a total of $1 million for direct support of churches in the state affected by Hurricane Helene:
- The Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Financial Services Committee announced a special allocation of $500,000 dollars on Tuesday, specifically to support Mission Georgia’s efforts to provide direct assistance to churches in the state, impacted ministerial staff and community support.
- In addition, the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation approved a matching grant of $500,000.
A GBMB assessment team has been deployed throughout the affected area traveling from church to church to assess the impact on their properties. The team is organized by associations and is working diligently to attend to the needs of each church as quickly as possible. The team is gathering details about the condition of their properties, their insurance policies, and their potential long-term need.
As of Tuesday morning, 31 Georgia churches have been identified as being impacted by Helene to some extent, and the damage has been assessed. In addition, 16 pastors or church staff have been identified as having been impacted.
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief continues to meet the needs of affected communities. Five feeding sites have been established at area churches, and meal preparation and distribution should begin today at all sites, pending the arrival of food supplies.
Several of the sites are being operated in partnership with other state Disaster Relief organizations which have sent resources and volunteers to support GBDR’s response. Additionally, GBDR is partnering with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army to distribute prepared meals throughout the communities.
North Carolina
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, in separate trips to the western part of the state in recent days, Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis encouraged North Carolina Baptist volunteers serving at Biltmore Church’s Arden campus, which is one of several churches in the region that has become a distribution center serving area residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Cooper visited with volunteers and church leaders on Monday as part of a tour of damaged areas, which also included stops at a local hospital and area businesses that are providing support to the community.
“We definitely appreciate Gov. Cooper and Sen. Tillis coming by,” said Bruce Frank, Biltmore Church’s lead pastor. “They were very complimentary of what was going on here.”
On Monday and Tuesday, Biltmore Church’s Arden campus distributed food, water and ice to area residents. Church officials estimated that approximately 3,000 cars had come through in each of the past two days. The church is posting regular updates about its distribution plans on its Facebook page.
Frank said churches from across North Carolina and other states are also shipping food, water and hygiene products to the church, which are being distributed to those coming onto campus as well as to those in the community who cannot make it to the campus.
Urgent needs
In addition, North Carolina Baptists on Mission has set up a recovery and feeding operation at the church.
“What we’re trying to do is hit the urgent needs,” Frank said.
Frank said many grocery stores in the area remain closed and without power, so finding even basic essentials is difficult.
In conversations with Cooper and Tillis, Frank said he shared some of what he felt were some of the region’s biggest needs and thanked them for their help.
“We appreciate all their efforts,” Frank said. “I know they’re doing the best they can.”
Franks is also supporting local relief efforts in other ways. Some of the church’s other campuses are serving as staging centers and bases of operations for organizations like the National Guard, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Duke Energy and other relief organizations.
“It’s getting better every day but it’s slow,” Frank said. “There are baby steps being taken, and there will be multiple phases in this recovery.”
Citing Psalm 34:18, which says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” Frank said he’s been amazed to see how God is at work amid the destruction and difficulty caused by Helene.
“The Lord is already redeeming a lot of it,” Frank said. “In the midst of the tragedy, God’s people are stepping up in some real visible ways.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was compiled by The Baptist Paper, with reporting from the Biblical Recorder and The Christian Index.
