Westside Baptist Church in Tuscumbia lost its steeple when an EF-1 tornado ripped through the city late Feb. 15. The tornado was part of a large line of storms that marched through the entire state that night and in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, producing strong straight-line winds and
The last Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief team that was deployed to help those affected by Hurricane Helene has returned home, though others may go again after Thanksgiving. Mark Wakefield, state disaster relief strategist, said a 28-person team from Calhoun Baptist Association came back to Alabama Sunday (Nov. 17). That team plus five others have
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are wrapping up their work in Clearwater, South Carolina, today (Nov. 1) and preparing to join the cleanup effort in western North Carolina. “We will shut down in Clearwater and bring most of our operation home,” said Mark Wakefield, state disaster relief strategist. ABDR has had
It’s been almost a month since Hurricane Helene made landfall and battered the Southeast with winds and floods. In some places, there’s still much to be done. But Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are among those still hard at work helping people get back on their feet. “A lot of our teams
Cookie Baker’s map is full of digital pins — chainsaw jobs that have been done, jobs that are ready to be done and job requests that still need to be assessed. In total, as of Monday (Oct. 7), 643 people had requested help with tree removal in the wake of
Tony Wolfe said as he drives around his state, he sees months and months of work to do in the wake of Hurricane Helene. “This may be the biggest disaster at least in terms of wind damage that our state has ever known,” said Wolfe, executive director-treasurer for the South Carolina
The road to recovery is “going to be a long operation” in the states affected by Hurricane Helene and “will need a significant number of volunteers,” said Mark Wakefield, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief strategist. “We need our trained volunteers to commit to go, and if they can stay longer, to stay longer,”
After completing 18 mud-out jobs in flooded parts of Walterboro, South Carolina, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams have packed up and returned home. John Hayes, who served as white hat leader on site for the past week, said they got a lot of work done, made good contacts in the community and
Mark Presswood said Mr. Addison was standing out by his mailbox in Walterboro, South Carolina, when Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers came to assess his neighbor’s property for flood damage. Mr. Addison didn’t have any damage, so he didn’t need help from their crews. But Presswood thought he might need a friend.
As waters are receding around the Edisto River in South Carolina, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are hard at work helping area residents whose houses were flooded by Hurricane Debby on Aug. 3. David Hendon, the ABDR white hat leader on site in Walterboro, South Carolina, said teams from Baldwin and Clarke
Jerry McHan said he knew his team was exactly where God wanted them to be. As they helped homeowners in Huffman, Texas, with cleanup after Hurricane Beryl, they felt that affirmed over and over. “It’s a lot of hurting people out there, a lot of folks who really needed help,”
Thelma Goolsby said now that she’s back in Alabama, she wants to keep the feeling she had all last week. She saw God at work in Huffman, Texas, as Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams helped clean up trees and limbs after Hurricane Beryl. “It’s been glorious and humbling,” said Goolsby, who serves as
