Texans on Mission deployed mass feeding, chainsaw and flood recovery teams — among others — Sept. 30 to meet needs after the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.
Category 4 Hurricane Helene raged through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina, killing more than 100 people and leaving millions without electricity.
Days after the storm, many remain powerless and the water supply in some areas has been severely disrupted.
The Texans on Mission disaster relief teams are serving in Johnson City, Tenn., and Spindale, N.C., communities impacted in different but significant ways.
The Texans on Mission state feeding unit has been tasked with providing more than 2,000 meals a day in Tennessee, while flood recovery volunteers clean out water-soaked homes from the floods.
In North Carolina, Texans on Mission chainsaw teams are cutting and removing fallen limbs and trees in an area hit hard by the storm’s high winds.
“Helene left a trail of almost unbelievable destruction,” Texans on Mission Disaster Relief Director David Wells said. “It’s like each state is suffering from a Hurricane Katrina-like event.
“People are going to be without electricity in some places for weeks. They’re downtrodden and hopeless. We aim to help pick them back up, help them down the path toward recovery, and serve as reminders of God’s love.”
The storm’s damage is stretching the country’s crucial volunteer disaster relief structure as volunteers try to step up once again in a disaster-heavy 2024. Nearly every Southern Baptist disaster relief group is responding in some way, setting up a multitude of relief sites across the region.
An emerging nationwide network of Christians called the On Mission Network is resourcing and coordinating relief efforts in multiple areas, as well.
“The Bible tells us we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength,” Wells said, noting this is Texans on Mission’s 15th major disaster relief deployment of the year.
“We’re seeing that in this response as God’s people respond to his call to minister. Texans on Mission volunteers are serving as the hands and feet of Christ to people in some of their most difficult days.”
Texans on Mission expects to rotate volunteers in Tennessee and North Carolina for many weeks. Wells asked people to pray for those impacted by the storm and for those who are meeting needs. He also encouraged people to step out in faith and join the relief effort by volunteering.
“Everyone has a role in God’s kingdom,” Wells said. “Many people are being called to go serve right now. Some people are being called to give financially. We are all being called to pray for what’s happening from Florida to North Carolina and everywhere in between.”