September 28, 2024
SUWANEE, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief coordinator Dwain Carter said Saturday that the response in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s rampage through Georgia would be an “all hands on deck effort.” Carter said a huge area of the state has been affected by the storm, with effects ranging from wind damage to flooding, and loss of power and communications. As many of the GBDR’s 1,100 volunteers as are able to respond will be activated in the state-wide callout.
In addition, GBDR is coordinating with national agencies and other state Disaster Relief organizations to help in as many areas as possible.
Carter stressed that the response could be hampered by the widespread power loss. Georgia Power reported on Saturday that despite restoring power to more than 440,000 customers, some 540,000 remained without power. In addition, communications are down across much of the impacted area as cell towers were knocked down and internet is out. FEMA will be flying in satellite phones for the Emergency Management Agencies in each county to facilitate communications, Carter said.
The lack of electricity is also causing issues with fuel and water supplies. In many places, Carter said, the GBDR is working to arrange diesel fuel, liquid propane and water deliveries.
“We are moving as fast as we can, and have already begun deployments” he said, “keeping in mind that we are still just 24 to 36 hours past the storm event.”
Carter said that the response would initially be based in four areas, though plans are subject to change as conditions evolve.
A kitchen will be deployed to Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta, run by Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief and the Salvation Army. That kitchen will be able to provide 10,000 meals per day, 5,000 lunches and 5,000 dinners.
Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief and the Red Cross will operate a kitchen at Fleming Baptist Church in Augusta, providing a similar number of meals. Southbridge Community Church in Statesboro will host a GBDR kitchen, in conjunction with the Salvation Army.
At First Baptist Church Alma a feeding unit will be operated by Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief and the Salvation Army, though currently its deployment is on hold due to a lack of water.
Each of those sites will also have an incident management team present to coordinate recovery efforts and liaise with other agencies providing relief. Recovery units operating from each site will assist homeowners in the area with flood damage, fallen tree removal, etc.
The family care ministry of GBDR will be crucial to the effort, Carter said. That group will initially provide boxes and packing supplies to families to preserve what they can of their belongings.
Carter said the family care teams will not just “show up, help and leave.” They will do follow-up visits to help support the affected families, advance the gospel, and let them know that “the Lord loves them in the midst of a disaster.”
This will be a long-term effort, Carter said, and he expects these follow-up visits to continue days and even weeks after the initial recovery response.
Georgia Baptist chaplains will also be present at every site to minister to volunteers as well as storm victims.
At Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Carter said, there are some 140 students stranded without power or food. The college reported Friday that roads in and around the school were impassible, and cell and text service was unavailable or spotty. Louisiana Disaster Relief will send a quick response feeding unit and a chainsaw unit to assist at the school.
A full incident command team will be set up at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s headquarters in Suwanee. That team will coordinate cross-agency efforts and manage the overall GBDR response.
Anyone desiring to donate in support of the ongoing relief efforts of Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief should visit Mission Georgia and click on the "GIVE" link at the top right.
