Hurricane Helene recovery efforts continue amid PDA deployments and generosity from volunteers and churches

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LOUISVILLE — Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall, communities that sustained damage are still reeling from the consequences of the storm that tore through a major swath of the southeastern United States and reportedly has led to more than 190 deaths.

The hurricane arrived last Thursday in the Big Bend area of Florida and continued on a path of destruction through several states that triggered wind damage, landslides, flooding, downed trees, washed-out roads and cut off some neighborhoods.

“Helene has caused disruption along a 500-mile strip south to north, and right now, that I’m aware of, there are 13 presbyteries that have sustained significant damage” in the states of Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina as well as part of Virginia, said the Rev. James Kirk, National Disaster associate for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).

PDA is in the midst of doing multiple deployments to help communities, including the presbyteries of Tampa Bay (Monday), Holston (Tuesday), Western North Carolina (Wednesday), Northeast Georgia (Saturday) and Foothills  (Thursday, Oct. 10).

In a  ">video for PDA, the Rev. Dr. Byron Wade of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina provided a status update on Tuesday about the catastrophic damage in that area.

“It’s a very dangerous situation,” said Wade, the presbytery's general presbyter. “There’s a lot of damage from Helene … across the whole presbytery, but especially Asheville, Montreat and Black Mountain, as well as other places. We still do have places that do not have power” or running water, and “there are some people who are evacuating to Virginia or Atlanta.”

Honing in on one of the most dire needs, “If someone could just bring water into us, especially in Asheville,” he said. “A lot of places, people can’t get gas or there's no food, and so it’s a dire situation in a number of the spots here within the presbytery.”

BeLoved Asheville, a local charity and justice organization, has been distributing food to residents and putting out lists of needs, such as diapers, according to its Facebook posts and reels, and others have been generous as well.

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“I have participated in calls with presbytery leadership in the impacted area,” and “I continue to be humbled by the ways that local Presbyterians are engaging in the response, from offering food to respite centers to shelters,” Kirk said. “Churches are living out the Gospel to help those in need.”

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is encouraging Presbyterians and other caring people to donate to PDA and to assist with a Church World Service appeal for buckets that are used for storm recovery.

The Rev. Dr. Holly Dillon, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Tampa Bay in Florida, said the buckets and hygiene kits are invaluable for cleanup. “They have things in them like sponges and bleach and rubber gloves and cleaning solution and masks,” she said, noting, “if people are flooded in their homes, they're not able to work, so therefore they’re not getting paid, so then they don’t have money to spend on the resources. It’s a small thing that makes a huge difference.”

Since before the storm, PDA has been coordinating with others in its disaster network, and Kirk has noted that progress is being made in multiple areas.

“I’ve been monitoring the state VOAD calls — Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster — and while there are still many immediate emergency needs, there is progress,” Kirk said. “They’re starting to get more resources into the impacted area. They’re working feverishly over time to restore power. Organizations are bringing in necessary, life-sustaining supplies, water, food, (and) hygiene” in the affected areas.

Tampa Bay Presbytery, where seven churches sustained water damage, was hard hit but also has experienced generosity and caring from individuals and organizations trying to help.

On Wednesday morning, LifeTree Presbyterian Church in Crystal River, Florida, was eagerly awaiting a delivery of donated buckets from Church World Service, which has been encouraging the public to do so to help Helene-impacted areas. (Go to this PDA page for instructions.)

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The delivery of the buckets reminded the church’s pastoral leader, Crystal Gilmer, of two years ago when similar deliveries came. People affected by the storms “sometimes just need to know that somebody’s there praying for them.”

LifeTree has some roof damage and water in the sanctuary, but that’s tempered by knowing what others are going through, including some volunteers.

“This area is very, very devastated, but they’re coming back; they’re very resilient. I have to say that,” Gilmer said. “I have a whole list of people in the church that are flooded … but they’re so grateful. Their spirits are really up, considering what happened. We had a 10- to 12-foot storm surge. … I’ve never seen anything like it, and I've been here my whole life.”

Dillon said in addition to the churches that sustained water damage, “numerous pastors lost homes, lost everything,” so there are congregations “where the churches are fine, but the members — the community — is not, and this is just Florida.”

Both PDA and Kathy Broyard, executive director of the Florida Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Network, worry about the remainder of the hurricane season given the magnitude of Helene and also damage from previous storms. (See what’s being said about Hurricane Kirk.)

“Just to see things out there on the hurricane center map is scary,” Broyard said. “So, we’re just monitoring and praying.”

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. You can donate to help with the hurricane response of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance by clicking here, or you can text HELENE24 to 41444.