Areas impacted by fall hurricanes face long road to recovery, need support, PDA leaders say

In late October and early November 2024, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Director the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo and Associate for National Disaster Response the Rev. Dr. Jim Kirk traveled to six states and 9 Presbyteries impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. At points along the way, they were accompanied by additional PC(USA) representatives including the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency; the Rev. Cece Armstrong and Rev. Tony Larson, Co-Moderators of the 226th General Assembly of the PC(USA); and the Rev. Valerie Young, Stated Clerk of the Synod of South Atlantic. 

A few weeks after that journey, González-Castillo and Kirk sat down to reflect on what they saw, heard, and experienced visiting impacted areas and meeting church and community leaders and members, and what will likely be next steps in those communities' recoveries.

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A few takeaways from the conversation include:

• The impact of these storms was unusually wide, akin to the impacts of multiple storms in a season.
• Areas impacted included some that never thought they would have to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane, highlighting how climate change has made more communities vulnerable to natural disasters.
• In many cases, Presbyterians stepped up to help their communities in the immediate aftermath of the storms.
• These areas face a long road to recovery and will need professional, volunteer, and financial support to be restored.

“If you ever had an inkling of wanting to put together a volunteer work team, now is the time, because the long-term recovery people will not be made whole without the volunteer efforts of volunteers from around the country,” Kirk said.

To learn more about Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, including how to volunteer and give, visit pcusa.org/pda.