Stories

SBDR gifts assist hurting people in Kentucky and beyond
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams – our members of the Yellow Shirt Army – stand ready to assist Kentucky Baptists and other state conventions in areas where so many lives were lost and so many homes and businesses sustained significant damage. Pray for our Alabama Baptist DR teams as they

Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, others honored with Samford Medallion Awards
“Faithful service in action” — that’s what Beck A. Taylor, president of Samford University, said the three recipients of this year’s Samford Medallion Awards embody. On Nov. 1, Samford presented the honor to Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief — represented by Mark Wakefield, lead strategist for ABDR — along with Tony

God takes strangers and makes them friends through Disaster Relief
When Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers hear that they’re needed, individuals from across the state put their lives on hold and descend on an area. And these strangers form teams, work long days and pour themselves out into disaster-ridden areas. “It’s amazing how God works — how He puts teams together of

Disaster Relief volunteers bring Christ to Louisiana community ‘through a barbecue sandwich’
Ferrell Hataway approached the car that pulled up by the tents where industrial cooking equipment and supplies were housed. A man was behind the wheel, and an 8-year-old girl was in the passenger seat. As Hataway was talking to him, he learned that this family’s trailer had been destroyed by

Hurricane Ida: Disaster Relief response begins amid ongoing efforts to restore water, power to hard-hit areas
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams will be part of a massive cleanup effort in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which struck the state Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm. Ida made two landfalls, the first near Port Fourchon and the second in Lafourche Parish, with maximum sustained

Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams on alert following Hurricane Ida
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams are on alert for likely deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29 in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm. Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, around noon Sunday as a high-end Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of

5 Dead, Hundreds of Homes and at Least Two Churches Hit in Alabama Tornado Outbreak March 25
At least five people were killed and hundreds of homes — and at least two churches — were destroyed or damaged when tornadoes struck several Alabama communities on March 25. The deaths occurred in Calhoun County in east Alabama, where Ohatchee, Wellington and nearby communities were struck. Calhoun Baptist Association

First Person: Disaster Relief Helps Meet Immediate Needs
As a team of Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers worked in Center Point to clear a yard following the Jan. 25 tornado that struck the area, a 79-year-old homeowner, Jeff Schatz, spoke to his son on the phone. “There are a bunch of bumblebees in my yard,” he said, describing

Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers Called Out to Serve Once Again Following Hurricane Zeta
Mark Wakefield says Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have been working steadily for a long time as hurricane after hurricane has pounded the Southeast, starting with Hurricane Laura relief in Louisiana in August. And now they’re scattered across the state helping people clean up after Hurricane Zeta rolled through. Zeta

Hurricane Zeta Update
Hurricane Zeta left a wide swath of damage across Alabama. While it is widespread, the most severe seems to be west of I-65. Teams are working in several counties. We have set up operations in Clarke and Mobile Associations. Many people are taking care of their own and their neighbors’

ABDR Volunteers Deploy to Louisiana After Hurricane Laura
When Robert and Elsie Whittle heard Hurricane Laura was headed right for them, they couldn’t believe it. A tree had already fallen on the back of their home earlier this summer when high winds and tornadoes had torn through their hometown of Leesville, Louisiana. They’d lost their kitchen, and since

Alabama Coast Cleaning Up After Sally
Romar Beach Baptist Church in Orange Beach and Camp Baldwin in Elberta each sustained significant damage as Hurricane Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores in the predawn hours of Sept. 16. Romar Beach Baptist Church suffered extensive damage, inside and out, according to pastor Chris Fowler in a Sept. 17