October 10, 2024
FRANKLIN , Tenn. — The response by Tennessee Baptists disaster relief volunteers in recent days can best be summed up in one word: Extensive.
That word applies to almost every aspect of the ongoing relief efforts — including the amount of time that the projects are going to take, the range of the impacted areas and the variety of assignments that the volunteers are being asked to do.
Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said this is one of the most widespread responses he has seen in his tenure at the TBMB.
“It rivals Katrina, maybe even ‘beats’ Katrina, in terms of its reach and its impact,” Jones said.
Many TBDR volunteers jumped into action just hours after the storms had passed, including going to work immediately in East Tennessee.
In the days that followed, TBDR fanned out to various parts of the state. One incident command post has been set up at First Baptist Church, Dandridge, and another has been established at Mountain View Baptist Church in Johnson City. The ICP in Johnson City is coordinating both Texas Baptist and Tennessee Baptist DR teams.
Jones said on Oct. 4 that the ICP at Mountain View might move to a new location, shifting to Elizabethton, in the days ahead.
Tina Golden, who is serving as the admin for the ICP in Dandridge, said the teams are providing aid to families who have seen their lives turned upside down.
“Listening to the stories has just been heartbreaking,” she said. “You can hear it in their voices. It’s been so hard.
“One lady told me that as she drove away from her house (to flee to a safer spot), she could see the water pouring into her house in the rearview mirror as she drove away,” Golden said.
Helene first made landfall in the Florida Panhandle and forcefully progressed through Eastern Georgia into Tennessee along the Appalachian Mountains. The storm caused severe flooding and wind damage in numerous East Tennessee counties. Newport, Erwin, Hampton and other cities have been affected.
Garry Maddox, disaster relief mobilization specialist for TBMB, told the Baptist and Reflector on the afternoon of Sept. 27 that all of the East Tennessee DR teams who were were available to go out had already started the response efforts. Many of the early jobs included clearing trees and other chain saw projects.
Troy Rust, director of missions for Holston Baptist Association, told the B&R that most of the bridges in that area had washed away and the 107 corridor had no water or electricity, he said, adding that most residents have little access to retail. Enon Baptist Church was destoryed by the raging waters.
Don Owen, director of God’s Warehouse in Morristown and DR director for Nolachucky Baptist Association, told the B&R that his team has been working with EMA in that area and had 60 job orders within the first 24 hours. Almost all of the job orders involved tree removal on power lines. Kaye Thomas, volunteer coordinator for Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief and member at Sevierville First Baptist Church, reported the water level in the Nolachucky River was predicted to crest at 21 feet, two feet higher than its previous record.
The community of Hampton was completely cut off by the flooding, and 12 families completely lost their homes, Thomas said.
Tim Grooms, pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Newport, told the Baptist and Reflector, “Our church building basement is flooded but we aren’t allowed to go to the area due to the current dangers of constant rising waters. This is the worst flood of my lifetime.”
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This story first appeared in The Baptist and Reflector.
