Four Steps for Disaster Response

It was heart-wrenching to see the destruction Helen left on my Spruce Pine friends. Nonetheless, seeing so many helpers gave me great hope for them and for humanity. . This is another reason connecting with local leaders is essential. Think twice before donating a trash bag of old coats that you stopped wearing fifteen years ago. Someone must sort through that bag – and it’s likely not needed. om was designated for a specific supply (diapers, cereal, canned goods, feminine supplies, etc.). Local teachers and community members volunteered their time to staff the disaster relief distribution centers and make sure all the supplies were organized. Most were happy to offer their time, but make no mistake, it was exhausting work. The local volunteers were grateful to be “busy” so they temporarily could keep their minds off the tragedy of loss they and their neighbors were experiencing.

 

Eight years ago, I was pastor of First Baptist Church of Whiteville, NC when Hurricane Matthew inundated Eastern North Carolina and parts of South Carolina. They called that storm a “1 in 500-year” event. You can only imagine how despondent folks were when merely two years later Hurricane Florence ripped through. The effects of the rainfall from Florence resulted in a “1000-year” flood.

 

You may remember hearing about Florence in the news. But you what you might not remember is that Hurricane Michael laid waste to the Florida Panhandle only three weeks after Florence. You might not know that several of the emergency crews who came to help the Carolinas recover were immediately dispatched to Florida. I don’t mean to minimize the need for the disaster response in Florida, but I can attest to the desperation that small towns like Whiteville felt when the aid has moved on while volunteers were still needed for recovery.

 

This past September I made a trip from Midlothian, VA to deliver supplies to Spruce Pine, NC (Western NC) where I served as an interim pastor three years ago. The supplies were purchased with the support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia and several families from the community of Brandermill in Midlothian. Thanks to their generosity we were able to take 27 clothes racks, 20 storage tubs, and 8 storage racks. I spent two days volunteering at a disaster relief center sorting clothes by type, size, and gender. The Principal at Mitchell Middle School, Jason Hall, gave me a tour around the town to show me how the area had been affected. I witnessed firsthand how Spruce Pine is experiencing the same level of fatigue and desperation that Eastern NC felt after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Seeing the destruction in Spruce Pine brought to the surface the sense of anxiety and trauma from my days in Whiteville.

 

The landscape has forever been changed. The raging rivers, streams eroded yards, parks, playgrounds, churchyards, and school zones. The angry waters and mudslides claimed 103 lives in North Carolina alone. People lost homes, businesses lost their buildings, and congregations lost places of worship.

 

My experience has taught me how resilient disaster-stricken communities are and how those outside of those communities are willing to help. It has also taught me that in the days immediately following disaster, chaos and disorganization typify the first phase of recovery. An organization asks for three generators and within two days they have forty. An emergency shelter asks for toiletries and within 24 hours they have more than they can store.

 

In Spruce Pine two retired school buildings were used to store clothes, food and water, toiletries, and home goods for people in Mitchell County. Morgan Hall, Jason’s wife, who typically serves as a Kindergarten Teacher Assistant, was asked to oversee the organization and distribution of supplies for both facilities. Within a few weeks both buildings were completely full of supplies. Every room was designated for a specific supply (diapers, cereal, canned goods, feminine supplies, etc.). Local teachers and community members volunteered their time to staff the disaster relief distribution centers and make sure all the supplies were organized. Most were happy to offer their time, but make no mistake, it was exhausting work. The local volunteers were grateful to be “busy” so they temporarily could keep their minds off the tragedy of loss they and their neighbors were experiencing.

 

It’s no longer front-page news, but please do not forget about Western NC and Eastern TN. Towns like Spruce Pine still need our aid. It’s also important that our efforts don’t cause more harm than good. I want to offer some insight that can help us all when we consider providing the right kind of assistance after the initial flood of response for emergency relief. What I’m addressing is how to help these areas long-term – after the media outlets have moved on, after the search and rescue, and after the initial emergency relief has happened.

 

Has the town/county appointed someone to oversee disaster response? What are their identified needs? When do they need it? Be intentional about listening to what the actual needs are. And if you’re volunteering your time, don’t simply ‘show up.’ Make sure you arrive at a time when there’s something to do.

 

This may be controversial, but it has been my experience that in the early phases of disaster response, American society tends to over respond in ways that cause harm. This is another reason connecting with local leaders is essential. Think twice before donating a trash bag of old coats that you stopped wearing fifteen years ago. Someone must sort through that bag – and it’s likely not needed.

 

If you’re interested in donating money, be mindful about where it goes. Dig a little before you give. Local leaders can tell you what organizations are the most helpful during this time. Don’t be so quick to donate to a church or organization that has no plan for meeting the real needs. Far too many donations go to organizations that fail to hit the mark when it comes to meeting the right need at the right place at the right time. If you plan to donate money to an organization inquire about their plan for helping. How will the money be used?

 

Many folks have experienced loss. Whether they’ve lost a loved one, home, business, or church – there are needs everywhere. Local leaders are often so overwhelmed with needs that sometimes they don’t know which direction to point to next. If you are truly willing to ask, “How can I help?” and mean it, rest assured, you will get an answer – even if the answer is “Let me get back to you.”

 

These communities do not need heroes. They need servant volunteers. It may not be what we expected to do. The work will not always be glorious but if we are flexible, we put ourselves in a situation to be most helpful.

It was heart wrenching to see the destruction Helen left on my Spruce Pine friends. Nonetheless, seeing so many helpers gave me great hope for them and for humanity.

 

If you are interested in continuing to assist in recovery and rebuilding from Hurricane Helene, please contact Laura Davis at LDavis@cbfva.org. We are working with CBF Disaster Response and Impact Missions Disaster Response in their efforts!

Funds from CBFVA came through a missions grant.