David Hendon said at the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief command center in Greenville, Mississippi, the calls for help just keep coming.
“I haven’t seen them with the phone down yet,” he said of the volunteers in the office set up at Emmanuel Baptist Church. “It’s been ringing off the hook.”
Greenville and the surrounding rural communities were hit hard in late January by Winter Storm Fern, which covered the area in ice, toppled trees, left thousands without power and killed more than 20 in the state as temperatures plummeted.
‘A lot of work to be done’
ABDR chainsaw teams from Calhoun and Walker Baptist associations were out working today (Feb. 2) in Greenville, clearing trees from the yards of affected homeowners. They will be joined soon by teams from Colbert-Lauderdale and Sand Mountain Baptist associations.
The laundry unit from Winston Baptist Association is also on site, as well as a cooking team from Pickens and Birmingham Baptist associations and “a few other places,” said Hendon, the white hat leader on site.
He said he’s expecting about 250 tarps to be delivered soon so teams can also begin helping homeowners with roof damage as the ice melts.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re ramping things up,” Hendon said.
One person has already expressed new faith in Christ as the result of a conversation with a volunteer. Hendon said that was a “great way to start the work here.”
Tornado, wind damage in Alabama
Mark Wakefield, state disaster relief strategist, said he is anticipating teams working there “at least a couple of weeks — could be more.”
ABDR teams have also been at work in Geneva following a Jan. 25 tornado, as well as in Montgomery following straight-line winds that hit the same day.
“To have an ice storm happening at the same time as tornados and wind damage, that is really rare,” Wakefield said.
For more information about Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief or to contribute to the efforts, visit sbdr.org.
Share with others: