A long day of weather watching and tornado touchdowns March 2 left several communities with damage, and Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteers were ready.
“The overall response was excellent, and the majority of it was handled by local resources,” said Mel Johnson, disaster relief strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM).
The SBOM effort wrapped up its official role in the cleanup March 10, but there was still work being done in Limestone County, he said.
Limestone Baptist Association Director of Missions Robert Fullerton said, “There’s still a lot of work out there to be done.”
While 25 volunteers from the association worked together with volunteers from Morgan Baptist Association on debris removal the week after the storms, Fullerton anticipated volunteers working for the rest of March.
A team of 35 from a Louisiana church will arrive March 18 and stay for one week to help with debris removal and clean up.
On March 31 a team from the Baptist Student Union of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., will assist in whatever relief work is needed when they arrive.
In July, 398 Mission Serve volunteers will help with Rebuild Limestone County, a recovery/rebuild emphasis that the association created, pulling from Habitat for Humanity’s fundraising event called Rebuild Alabama.
“Limestone County has pulled together really well,” Fullerton said, noting several organizations and ministries that have worked together to benefit the county as a whole.
At press time, Fairview Baptist Church, Athens, which had been damaged by the morning tornadoes, had not been repaired but members were still able to meet in the sanctuary for services. Beyond just roof damage, all of the windows will also need to be replaced at the church, Fullerton said.
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