By Norm Miller
Baptist Message
Hurricane Laura uprooted, snapped off and twisted more than 500 trees, obstructing the landscape at Dry Creek Baptist Camp such that workers spent almost three days clearing a short stretch of camp road that led to a garage where equipment, needed to restore the 95-year-old campus, was kept.
“Our greatest need is for some volunteers who can come and stay for a while — I’m talking weeks,” said Todd Burnaman, Dry Creek camp director. “Maybe some RV-ers or some folks who could stay in our cabins and help keep things moving at a steady pace. We love having youth groups coming in for a day, too,” he said.
Months after the hurricane swept through the area, the camp still has hundreds of trees that need to be removed, and other general clean-up work must be done.
“We’re just using every bit of energy we have right now to get the trees off the ground,” Burnaman said. “I can’t even start to think about spending energy taking care of people, which hurts, because that’s what’s important. If we don’t get trees off the ground we can’t get people here.”
Camp staffers, including administrative assistants, have pitched in to remove brush, broken limbs and other debris. Burnaman said, “We’re in a pretty tight financial spot these days and our staff is all-in. We have a ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude.”
Access to supplies is not a problem. “But one of our biggest needs is finances. We’d already depleted savings because of the coronavirus. We’re just kinda hangin’ on here,” he said. For volunteers coming in to assist the community, “we need to be able to house and feed them.”
Burnaman anticipates ongoing repairs will include roofing, electrical, drywall, painting, etc. “We are still assessing which buildings we can assign to volunteers, and which will need professional contractors.”
On a personal note, Burnaman said, “I’ve known for a long time — since I worked here when I was in college — that God had wired me, had put me together to do camp ministry.” With tearful eyes, he continued: “That’s the toughest part. We can’t do ministry right now.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was originally published by The Baptist Message. To read more articles like this on Louisiana Baptists, visit baptistmessage.com. This article also appears in TAB News, a digital regional Baptist publication. For more information or to subscribe to the TAB News app, visit tabonline.org/TAB-News-app.
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