On April 27, multiple storms and cyclones traversed Alabama, changing the landscape and the lives of many residents.
The impact was felt directly in 42 of the state’s 67 counties, said Jim Swedenburg, an Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) missionary assigned to District 2.
That district — which comprises Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Marshall and Jackson counties — suffered much devastation, Swedenburg said.
But now the buzz of disaster relief chain saws has been replaced by the tap-tap-tap of hammers as homes are being rebuilt, lives are being restored and hearts are turning to Jesus.
DeKalb Baptist Association
DeKalb County took a significant hit that killed at least 35 people.
Ken Clement, director of missions (DOM) for DeKalb Baptist Association, said the path of destruction was 38 miles long.
Mountain View Baptist Church, Sylvania, and 309 homes were destroyed; 176 homes were damaged, he said.
But help arrived soon. The SBOM sent a feeding unit that was based for weeks at Broadway Baptist Church, Rainsville. Volunteers served more than 70,000 meals to displaced people and disaster relief personnel working in the area. The Red Cross delivered meals to outlying areas. First Baptist Church, Rainsville, and Mount Olive Baptist Church, Fort Payne, also provided meals, Clement said.
The association’s volunteers trained in chain saw, construction, chaplaincy and child care were called to action, he added.
“Our people did work. But some were limited because they had damage themselves,” Clement said.
Because of that, Alabama Baptist helpers and chaplains were sent from other parts of the state.
Also as many as 70 chain saw relief workers and chaplains came from Louisiana and another 75–80 arrived from Kentucky, Clement said.
The Alabama Baptist disaster relief child care unit set up at a Federal Emergency Management Agency site in Rainsville, where it remained a couple of weeks.
Disaster relief shower and laundry units also were at Broadway Baptist, Clement said.
Likewise some churches with showers made their facilities available to locals and volunteers.
Offering lodging to volunteers were Broadway Baptist; First, Rainsville; Minvale Baptist Church, Fort Payne; and First Baptist Church, Geraldine. And some are still doing so, Clement said.
Construction crews from Baldwin, Tuskegee Lee, Etowah and Cherokee Baptist associations have assisted in DeKalb Association. Plus Carpenters for Christ worked to help rebuild Mountain View Baptist.
“I’ve been amazed and thrilled to see the response” in relief efforts and collecting needed supplies, Clement said.
In fact, the clothing contributions overflowed. When Joplin, Mo., experienced its own destructive storms just a few weeks later, the association sent clothes there.
Now the ministry focus has changed to recovery, dispersing funds and scheduling volunteer efforts to rebuild homes, Clement said. These duties are being handled through the Jackson/DeKalb Long Term Recovery Committee, of which he is a member.
Clement said DeKalb Association is using some disaster relief donations to address needs it learns about through Project Rebound, a project in which representatives talk with people to see what they still need.
Already some houses are under construction but more work lies ahead.
“We’ve made some progress,” Clement said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
Volunteers in construction and cleanup will be needed for a while.
“That’s going to be a long-term need,” Clement said.
Although the storms were a great tragedy, he said something positive has come from the pain — Mountain View Baptist has seen eight to 10 people come to know Christ as Savior.
Sand Mountain Baptist Association
The morning of April 27, an EF4 tornado swept through Macedonia, Pisgah and the Flat Rock area.
That evening, an even more powerful and deadly EF5 tornado struck Rainsville.
“Stamp Baptist Church (in Henagar) was heavily damaged,” said David Patty, DOM for Sand Mountain Baptist Association, which covers portions of Jackson and DeKalb counties.
In Jackson County, 115 homes were destroyed and 200 more were damaged, Patty reported. At least eight people died.
But this tragedy’s impact on the people of Jackson and DeKalb counties was not confined to their counties. Patty said three of the University of Alabama students killed when tornadoes hit Tuscaloosa that day were from the Sand Mountain area.
Immediately after the morning storm, the association’s chain saw unit deployed and worked all day. At times, it had to seek shelter from subsequent storms, Patty said.
By the next day, teams were coming from elsewhere to help and disaster relief headquarters were established at Happy Home Baptist Church, Henagar. Happy Home Baptist also housed volunteers, as did Henagar and Ider Baptist churches.
The next week, 11 chain saw teams arrived from Kentucky, along with three teams from DeKalb and Tennessee River Baptist associations, Patty said.
The initial cleanup lasted about six weeks, he said. During that time, more volunteers came from Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Alabama, such as Tuskegee Lee Association.
Even now, the response continues.
“We’ve got teams out as far as February,” wanting to help, Patty said. “We need many more.”
Patty, who serves as chairman of the Jackson/DeKalb Long Term Recovery Committee, said it has approved more than 35 requests for assistance with repairs and rebuilding.
“Many of them need volunteer help because they have no money,” he said. “We try to find that for them.”
Patty said more skilled people and funds are needed.
Tennessee River Baptist Association
Dwight Everett, DOM for Tennessee River Association, said Bridgeport, in the northeastern corner of Alabama, received severe damage.
“There’s a small area of Bridgeport that looks as bad as anywhere I’ve been,” Everett said.
On April 27, the association’s chain saw unit worked almost constantly. Twice it had to take cover from storms, Everett said.
In fact, the unit cleared one road of debris that morning and then had to do it again later in the day, he said.
Chain saw teams from Kentucky worked for two weeks in Jackson and DeKalb counties, Everett said.
Volunteers from Tennessee River Association worked with the SBC feeding unit in Rainsville, he said. Also First Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church, both in Scottsboro, helped to feed disaster relief workers at Happy Home Baptist.
Now the aim is getting lives and homes rebuilt. This is the mission of the Jackson/DeKalb Long Term Recovery Committee, of which Everett is a member.
He reported that Bridgeport has done a lot of recovery work on its own. Elsewhere, however, much work is left to be done.
“Money is what’s needed now more than anything. There are a lot of people underinsured,” Everett said.
Recently his association held disaster relief training and saw a great response. Everett noted that the April tragedy helped people see the need to be trained and ready.
In fact, Trinity Baptist Church, Scottsboro, has purchased a generator so that it may serve as a feeding site and distribution center next time, he said.
Blount Baptist Association
“The northern part of [Blount] County was hit hard enough that there was a lot of work (to be) done here,” said Ennis Stone, moderator of Blount Baptist Association.
Once the storm subsided, people cleared roads, cut trees off homes and cleaned yards, Stone said.
“We were just busy trying to help each other,” said Randy Burtram, pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church, Holly Pond.
Churches and individuals have continued to do that, said Ed Engle, vice moderator of Blount Association.
However, the churches have not confined their assistance only to their neighbors. Engle pointed to Warrior River Baptist Church, Altoona, which took a monetary donation to a church in Hackleburg in Marion County to help affected people in that area.
Cherokee Baptist Association
On April 27, Cherokee County was hit more than once. As a result, 35–40 homes were damaged and 35–40 more were destroyed. Four churches — New Bethel Baptist, Tates Chapel Baptist and Pilgrim Rest Baptist, all in Centre; and Pisgah Baptist, Piedmont — sustained damage, said Wendell Dutton, DOM for Cherokee Baptist Association.
The association took the lead in setting up a distribution center in a school gymnasium in Centre, Dutton said. Locals gave generously to the effort. In addition, a truckload of supplies arrived from a church in Indiana.
“We kept it open until the first of August,” Dutton stated.
Though the center is officially closed, Cherokee Association continues to help families obtain what they need, he said.
Dutton said repairs to New Bethel Baptist and Tates Chapel Baptist have been completed and work is in progress at Pisgah Baptist.
The damage to Pilgrim Rest Baptist, though, was massive (see story, page 13). Congregants will soon be meeting in a mobile chapel provided by Alabama Baptist disaster relief on the site, Dutton said.
Unlike other associations, Cherokee Association has not received volunteer assistance from disaster relief teams inside or outside the state, he said.
Basically, though, people in the county have been able to do what was necessary by “neighbors pitching in to help neighbors,” Dutton said, adding that various churches’ brotherhood groups have helped people with needs and projects.
“Our people just came together in this county in a phenomenal way to help their neighbors,” Dutton said.
Recently the Cherokee County Long Term Recovery Committee was formed, and the association is a part of it. Through that committee, Dutton said, people who were uninsured or underinsured are able to receive vouchers for building supplies.
Lookout Mountain Baptist Association
The area encompassed by Lookout Mountain Baptist Association escaped significant damage April 27. Nonetheless the association’s churches — located in Cherokee and DeKalb counties — acted expediently. They accumulated about $12,000 in funds and supplies, such as hygiene items and diapers, to give to those affected, DOM Lloyd Borden said.
Two congregations in Georgia learned of the efforts and sent a truckload of supplies, Borden said.
After the supplies were gathered, about 35 people packaged them for distribution, he said.
Plus Lookout Mountain Association purchased 140 plastic storage containers and gave them to affected residents in DeKalb and Jackson counties, Borden said.
While most of the supplies went to people in those two counties, a load was taken to Pratt City, he said.
In addition, the association has given some funds to Cherokee Association’s Pilgrim Rest Baptist for rebuilding its structure, Borden said. And Lookout Mountain Association plans to give some funds to state disaster relief.
The association’s people “give and they give all over again,” Borden observed.
“Anytime you do something in the name of the Lord and in the name of the church is a blessing,” he continued.
Lookout Mountain Association consists of 16 churches that probably average 30–35 each in Sunday worship. All have bivocational pastors.
Small churches might feel as if they cannot do much to help. But a church with only 15 people attending has as much obligation and privilege to serve as bigger churches, Borden said.
“We demean ourselves because we’re small,” he said. But “we all need to be known as helpers through Jesus Christ.”
Borden said his association sees how readiness is essential.
“We need to stock some things that we can get out to people,” such as tarps, storage containers, etc., he said. “We need to be ready at all times to respond (and to keep in mind) that this is part of our Christian duty.”
Etowah Baptist Association
Etowah Baptist Association’s construction team usually works on a summer project somewhere else. This year, coordinators pursued several possibilities but none worked out. At the time, no one understood why.
Then came April 27 and the reason became clear: The team’s ministry was to friends and neighbors, DOM Gary Cardwell said.
In Etowah County, 12 homes were damaged or destroyed, Cardwell said.
Shortly after the storms, the association’s chain saw unit and chaplains went into the Webster’s Chapel, Happy Hollow and Ford’s Valley areas of the county. Also Etowah Association assisted in Ragland in St. Clair County, Oak Grove in Talladega County and Ohatchee in Calhoun County.
In Oak Grove, “we worked weeks and weeks,” Cardwell said.
Some of the association’s churches formed teams to go to locations to work as well. First Baptist Church, Hokes Bluff, provided food for those affected by the storms, and Cardwell ministered in Pleasant Grove in Jefferson County as a disaster relief chaplain.
Twelfth Street Baptist Church, Rainbow City, devoted some of its facility to a collection and distribution center. Most churches in the association contributed to it, Cardwell said.
Through Etowah Association’s Youth Network Work Crew (see story, this page), youth are assisting people with storm cleanup.
Since April 27, Etowah Association’s shower unit “has been all over north Alabama and so has the big District 2 (shower) unit,” Cardwell said. Recently the association’s unit was in Northport in Tuscaloosa County.
In June, the association’s construction team helped in rebuilding a Rainsville church of another denomination.
In a continuing effort to assist in rebuilding, the association is participating in the Etowah County Long-term Recovery Committee.
“That’s been a help,” Cardwell said of the committee. “We’re able to take care of some needs through that.
“A number of homes are back together or in the process of being rebuilt,” he noted.
By doing what the Lord has called Christians to do, “it has afforded a great platform for the gospel,” Cardwell said.
There have been reports that some people prayed to receive Jesus Christ and that others’ faith was strengthened through the assistance they received from Alabama Baptist disaster relief workers.
Needed now are volunteers skilled in certain areas of construction, Cardwell said.
Also monetary donations continue to be accepted for assisting people through the association and the long-term recovery committee.
Marshall Baptist Association
The destructive forces of April 27 damaged or destroyed 880 homes in Marshall County, said Randall Stoner, DOM for Marshall Baptist Association.
At least five people died in the Ruth community.
“It was devastated,” Stoner said of the community.
Marshall Baptist Retreat Center, Haney’s Chapel Baptist Church and Victory Baptist Church, all in Guntersville, experienced significant damage, he said. Three other churches received some damage.
Marshall Association’s chain saw crew deployed quickly and assisted more than 100 families, Stoner said. Crews from Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida also arrived to help.
Friendship Association responded to Marshall Association’s need by delivering food items to Central Baptist Church, Albertville, for distribution, Stoner said.
Marshall Association churches swiftly went into action. Stoner enumerated around 15 churches that prepared meals, delivered food in communities, housed volunteers or distributed needed items. Some did so for months.
Eastside Baptist Church, Arab, moved its worship services into a mobile home park in Ruth to minister to people, Stoner said.
Moreover individuals in the association are serving with Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters and Project Rebound to assist people in the restoration phase, he added.
Stoner said Marshall Association’s needs now are threefold: prayer, disaster relief funds and volunteers in cleanup and construction.
“We’ve learned to see that we can make it if we all pull together,” he said. “America is still the best place to live in the world.”
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How to help
Almost all of these associations say more monetary donations are needed to assist people affected by the April 27 storms. Also almost all of these associations are in need of skilled volunteers to help in rebuilding projects. Most need both.
• Blount Baptist Association — Contact local churches.
• Cherokee Baptist Association, 256-927-5016
• DeKalb Baptist Association, 256-638-4441
• Etowah Baptist Association, 256-547-1691
• Friendship Baptist Association, 205-274-2879
• Lookout Mountain Baptist Association, 256-593-5936
• Marshall Baptist Association, 256-582-2882
• Sand Mountain Baptist Association, 256-451-3750
• Tennessee River Baptist Association, 256-259-6135
For a list of needs across the state, visit www.sbdr.org. Also the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) is helping to connect volunteers with associations that need assistance. Contact the SBOM’s tornado rebuild assistant, Penny Flowers, at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 597. (TAB)
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