Disaster Relief still on the job in Northeast Tennessee
It’s been a month since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in northeast Tennessee but Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are still on the job.
It’s been a month since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in northeast Tennessee but Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are still on the job.
“It is amazing what the Lord has done through our churches,” said Mike Hensley, director of missions for East Tennessee Baptist Association.
When Kathy Henry was first approached about being a disaster relief chaplain she was hesitant because she saw it as more of a pastoral role.
“We will remain in northeast Tennessee until all the jobs are finished,” said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Phil Young’s morning routine in preparing for class looks a bit different than most college professors. He arrives on site around 7:45 in the morning.
As Roan Creek began to flood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, 15 Mexican men who were living alongside the creek had to vacate their homes and find higher ground. They gathered underneath a tree in front of the house of …
“Helene ripped through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and here in East Tennessee, leaving a path of destruction we have never seen in our lifetimes,” said Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jay Hardwick.
These teams represented just a few of the hundreds of disaster relief (DR) volunteers from Tennessee, Texas and other states serving people from the Newport area to as far northeast as the Mountain City area.
Less than one week after Hurricane Helene ravaged Enon Baptist Church’s facilities, the church members gathered for their Wednesday night activities as normal, albeit in a different location.
“It rivals Katrina, maybe even ‘beats’ Katrina, in terms of its reach and its impact,” said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.