Baptist Disaster Relief efforts in several states are underway today (March 17) following a weekend of devastating storms that hit communities across the country. More than 36 deaths have been reported in addition to power outages and damage to homes and other structures, some of which were completely destroyed.
“The storm produced violent tornados, a massive dust storm, heavy rains and hail, intense winds, and fueled wildfires that ravaged significant portions of Oklahoma,” reported Coy Webb, crisis response director for Send Relief, on Monday. Send Relief is a ministry of the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board. Multiple towns, he noted, were heavily damaged in Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi.
Relief efforts
Webb shared the following report Monday morning (March 17) on various Baptist Disaster Relief efforts already underway or completed:
Alabama: Alabama Baptists have teams working in Sipsey, Selma area, Maplewood. They are assessing needs around Troy, but reported most of the impact was in rural areas.
Arkansas: Arkansas Baptist are responding to two areas. This includes chainsaw response efforts in Batesville and chainsaw and mass feeding efforts in heavily-damaged Cave City, which Webb described as “leveled” by tornado damage. Teams are also partnering there with Salvation Army to provide mass-feeding efforts.
Georgia: Georgia Baptists have deployed three chainsaw recovery teams to areas near Dallas, Georgia.
Illinois: Illinois Baptists are responding to a tornado in Vienna in a rural area that affected about 10 homes — two were completely destroyed — while others “sustained considerable damage,” Webb reported. They responded on Saturday (March 15) to offer emotional and spiritual help to the homeowners and deployed three chainsaw teams on Monday.
Indiana: Indiana Baptists reported one response area on Saturday and deployed one team. Work there has already been completed, Webb noted.
Louisiana: Louisiana Baptists have deployed chainsaw teams to Kentwood.
Mississippi: Mississippi Baptists have assigned 17 chainsaw teams to respond to about 150 damaged homes “with 30–35 destroyed.” They also are launching three response sites (Tylertown, Elliott/Grenada and Taylorsville). They anticipate being available to handle around 50 work requests per site, Webb said.
Missouri: Missouri Baptists deployed chainsaw and flood recovery teams to set up at First Baptist Church Rolla, Piedmont, Jefferson and possibly in St. Louis and Poplar Bluff. They also are partnering with the Salvation Army to provide mass feeding in Rolla — a “small feeding response” — few hundred meals a day, Webb noted.
Oklahoma: A wildfire response is underway in Oklahoma. They are partnering with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to provide a mass feeding for five communities — 2,000 meals per day. “Feeding will probably go through mid-week,” Webb reported. “About 300 homes were lost in fires,” he noted. “They anticipate they will begin fire clean up near the end of this week.”
See other related stories:
Disaster Relief responds to weekend storms -Baptist Press
Tornadoes, wildfires, blinding dust sweep across U.S. as massive storm leaves at least 35 dead -Baptist Press
Deadly storms slam parts of U.S. -The World and Everything in It
EDITOR’S NOTE — This report was compiled by The Baptist Paper, with reporting from Send Relief, a ministry of the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board.
