Early March storms in the South and Midwest left at least four people dead, damaged church buildings and led to deployment of Baptist disaster relief workers in four states.
The storm system killed three people in Illinois and one in Missouri, with at least 10–15 injured in Arkansas, according to media reports. At least seven states were affected Feb. 28–March 1.
An overnight thunderstorm in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, downed trees and power lines at Williams Baptist College, damaging at least three vehicles, the Arkansas Baptist News reported. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention-affiliated school received assistance with debris cleanup from a state convention disaster relief team.
In Kentucky at least four churches were damaged by storms March 1, the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s Kentucky Today news service reported. In northern Kentucky, First Baptist Church, Walton, saw its 35-foot steeple lifted off a building and thrown onto a busy highway during the early morning commute.
Illinois Baptist disaster relief teams are being deployed to four separate regions of the state — one in the north and three in the south, said Dwayne Doyle, director of men’s ministry and missions for the Illinois Baptist State Association. Disaster relief efforts are focused largely on debris removal and could include more than 100 volunteers by mid-March.
Working in the southern Illinois town of Vergennes, disaster relief volunteer Don Kragness told local television station WSIL, “We are here basically because we love Jesus and we want to serve Him and the best way we know how to serve Him is to help people when they’re in need.”
Approximately 55 Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Disaster Relief volunteers have deployed to Perry County, Missouri, some 80 miles south of St. Louis, where a person was killed and at least eight to 10 homes were damaged, according to The Associated Press.
The bulk of the disaster relief work in Missouri is cleanup and placing tarps on damaged roofs, said MBC disaster relief specialist Dwain Carter.
Community support
There is “a lot of community support” in Perry County, Carter said, “neighbor helping neighbor, friends helping friends. … They just have a ‘let’s work together’ attitude to get it all done.”
Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) Disaster Relief teams were deployed to five areas of the state, with work at one site unfinished at press time. A total of 30 volunteers have completed 16 chainsaw cleanup jobs and placed tarps on 14 damaged roofs, according to ABSC.
One person in Arkansas professed faith in Christ as a result of the disaster relief ministry.
Randy Garrett, ABSC disaster relief director, said, “We don’t go out just to cut the trees and feed people. We go out to minister to people and share the Word of Christ.”
Southwest Indiana experienced minor damage from a tornado, leading to deployment of some 10–15 disaster relief volunteers near Owensville.
Rick Hillard, the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana’s director of missional coordination, said the Hoosier State was “really fortunate. If it would have been a little stronger and stayed on the ground a little longer, it would have been more of a devastating tornado.”
Kentucky Baptist Convention Disaster Relief leaders assessed damage but determined no volunteers were needed in their state. (BP)
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