It’s not as bad as Ivan,” came the repeated report from pastors and directors of missions across south Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Dennis.
For Paul Smith, pastor of Romar Beach Baptist Church in Baldwin Baptist Association, it was a relief to return to the Orange Beach church, after riding out Dennis in Montgomery.
Hurricane Ivan destroyed the beachside church last September. The mobile chapel the congregation currently meets in, “had no damage,” Smith said.
For Robinsonville Baptist Church in Escambia Baptist Association, however, the legacy of the July 10 hurricane may be much worse than Ivan.
Pastor Mike McMorris said although Ivan had caused much more outward signs of damage — shingles and siding torn, windows blown out and damage to the steeple — this time around, “We’re really concerned about structural damage that you can’t see.”
Shifted off foundation
“It looks like it might have shifted off the foundation a bit,” McMorris said, citing several cracks in the church walls, as well as some separation along part of the roofline.
Coming 10 months after Ivan, the Category 3 Dennis interrupted repair work that was not yet finished, and “the church is just a little weary,” he said. But “we’re positive we’re going to get through it. Like the apostle Paul said, ‘We’re knocked down, but not destroyed.’”
McMorris said the church had been looking at the possibility of building a new sanctuary on the same site before Dennis hit and plans to meet in the adjacent fellowship hall and a mobile chapel provided by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) until a decision is made.
“God has a purpose in all this, and we’re going to seek that,” he said. “Maybe He’ll use us to help another church down the road.”
Helping another church is what God has done through Oyster Bay Baptist Church in Baldwin Association, which survived Dennis with no damage.
Jerry Peebles, pastor of Oyster Bay, said the church suffered major damage to all five of its buildings after Ivan.
After experiencing the blessing of help from SBOM and other churches during that time, Peebles said it was time to return the favor by offering financial aid to Robinsonville Baptist, and possibly volunteer labor, when the church finishes assessing its needs.
“We were looking for somebody to help to return the blessing we were the recipients of last year,” he said.
Baldwin Director of Missions Larry Patterson said the association’s other churches reacted to Dennis much like Oyster Bay, calling the office with offers of help instead of reporting damage. “This was nothing like Ivan,” he said, noting that the association was one of the most badly hit by that hurricane.
He also noted that although no churches were damaged, the association’s disaster relief chainsaw team helped with tree removal at residences in the association.
Mobile Baptist Association also reported no damage to area churches.
Overall Escambia County was the hardest-hit by Dennis in Alabama, according to Tommy Puckett, SBOM director of disaster relief.
Little damage statewide
“We had reports of numerous trees down on people’s homes and property,” Puckett said. But Robinsonville was the only Baptist church in the state to report any damage.
Dennis weakened from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 3 just before making landfall on the Florida panhandle and Alabama coast. Even with 120 mph winds, Dennis was smaller in size than Ivan and moved faster through Alabama, resulting in much less damage. “I believe God’s hand toned down Dennis tremendously,” Puckett said.
By July 14, just four days after Dennis hit, the chainsaw crews that responded in Escambia Association had gone home, with the feeding crews there and in Clarke Baptist Association following close behind.
Puckett estimated at press time July 15 that the response in both Alabama and Florida would end early the week of July 17.
Pat Andrews, director of missions for Escambia Association, said the cleanup from Dennis, while quick, was made harder by South Alabama’s nearly 90-degree summer heat and humidity.
“The heat is unbearable,” Andrews said July 12. “We’ve got chainsaw teams from five different states (north of Alabama) and it’s hard on them.”
For the feeding crews in Escambia, their ministry extended beyond the area residents, he said.
As evacuees returned to their homes along Alabama’s Gulf Coast and in Florida, “some of [the evacuees] are pulling through, and we’re providing ice, water and a hot meal,” Andrews said.
Extended ministry
Puckett said chainsaw and cleanup teams from St. Clair and Calhoun Baptist associations went to Atmore. Flomaton and Brewton received teams from Elmore, Etowah, Sand Mountain and Tennessee River Baptist associations.
In addition to fallen trees, Dennis caused widespread power outages in Alabama and Florida, with more than 500,000 customers losing power.
The outages prompted the activation of kitchen units and feeding crews to Escambia and Clarke associations to work with the Salvation Army to provide hot meals for residents. A shower unit from the Missouri Baptist Convention also went to Escambia.
Puckett said the following kitchen units were activated in Alabama:
4The SBOM mobile kitchen went to Little Escambia Baptist Church, Flomaton.
4A mobile kitchen unit and feeding crew from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma went to First Baptist Church, Atmore.
4A mobile kitchen unit and feeding crew from the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board was based at the Grove Hill National Guard Armory in Clarke County.
Florida also received help from chainsaw and kitchen units, hosting a feeding unit, communications unit, shower unit and two cleanup teams the Baptist Convention of the State of Georgia at Immanuel Baptist Church, Pace, Fla., and a feeding unit, from the Florida Baptist Convention at Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla. Multiple Florida cleanup crews also responded.
Overall the Southern Baptist response was smaller than originally thought, according to Terry Henderson, Southern Baptist national disaster relief director. “Initially 24 units were put on standby,” Henderson said.
Dewey Bondurant Jr., the mayor of Flomaton, said July 14 that a “great service” is being provided by the disaster relief volunteers.
“Without the outside help like you all provide, it would be extremely tough for this community,” said Bondurant, a member of First Baptist Church, Flomaton. “From a Christian standpoint, it’s an excellent witnessing tool for people.”
The Flomaton feeding site also hosted Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch and Rick Lance, executive director of the SBOM, July 13.
“We’re not only doing a good humanitarian thing here, we’re giving a cup of cold water — and we’re underlining ‘in Jesus’ name,’” Welch observed. “That’s thrilling to me. I saw the tracts they’re sharing with these people. The chaplains are here sharing one on one so that’s very encouraging.”
Welch and Lance also traveled to Robinsonville, where they met and prayed with McMorris and other members of the church.
Anyone wishing to contribute to relief efforts may do so by making checks payable to the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, 2001 E. South Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36116. Contributions should be marked “for disaster relief.”
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