From the desk of district executive minister John Jantzi
October 9, 2024
The following information is in response to the many phone calls and requests for information on how best to respond to the tragedy of Hurricane Helene. We will do our best to provide accurate information as needs change and evolve.
Buckets and Kits
1. Over two hundred clean-up buckets have been prepared for distribution. These will be taken to a warehouse in Roanoke, under BDM supervision, for distribution in hurricane-stricken areas.
2. Many health kits and hygiene kits have also been prepared for distribution in the same manner.
3. Congregations and individuals are invited and welcome to prepare clean-up buckets and health kits. These may be dropped off at the Brethren Disaster Warehouse at the Shenandoah District Office. We will keep you abreast of additional opportunities to participate in the assembly of buckets and kits.
Monies
Monies may be sent to the Shenandoah District Office designated for Hurricane Helene and specifically for relief in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina.
Rebuilding Projects
Future projects are pending. For now, there are no teams on the ground as the initial need is being managed by first responders. If you are making a trip to North Carolina with supplies, make sure you have a designated contact in the stricken area and have access to your own food and lodging.
Although much effort is being expended to respond to the victims of Hurricane Helene, BDM is still maintaining work projects in Tennessee and Kentucky after flooding two and one-half years ago.
We invite continued concerted prayers and generous responses to these tragedies.
District Gears Up to Assist After Hurricane Devastates the Southeast
Shenandoah District Brethren Disaster Ministries Coordinator Jerry Ruff said that adequate resources were on hand to construct 100 clean-up buckets at the Kit Depot, located behind the Weyers Cave office at 1453 Westview School Road. These buckets are being stored with some existing buckets and will be transported shortly. Contact Ruff at ruffrev2@yahoo.com to schedule a time to help fill buckets when supplies are replenished.
Catherine Lantz noted enough supplies are on hand to fill hygiene kits and possibly school kits at the Kit Depot. Contact her at 540-896-7556 or email catherinetlantz@gmail.com to set a time to work on checking existing kits or filling bags for kits. Groups interested in participating in bucket or kit construction at their church or locality may download supply lists by clicking here for buckets, here for hygiene kits and here for school kits. Remember to fill the buckets and kits exactly as the list dictates, and do not add additional items.
As available supplies are expended, individuals, congregations, and groups are invited to donate money as they feel led because the average cost per bucket is now $75-90. Giving to the District’s local disaster fund will enable the District to obtain more supplies for future bucket creation. Online donations may be made at shencob.org by choosing the blue “Donate Now” button at the top right, then selecting “local disaster giving” from the dropdown menu and completing the transaction. A recurring gift may be set up to help fund the response in the weeks and months ahead. In addition, checks may be made to the Shenandoah District with “local disaster giving” in the memo line—mail checks to the District Office at P. O. Box 67, Weyers Cave, Virginia, 24486.
Children’s Disaster Services has been deployed to Charlotte to aid in caring for children while their parents are working to find resources to sustain their families. It should be noted that these workers face several obstacles because the infrastructure is not yet in place to sustain excessive numbers of volunteers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, commonly called FEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies are developing plans to address the recovery phase. Project sites will be set up with Brethren Disaster Ministries, and volunteers will be crucial to assist over the long term. When project sites are established, the District will call for volunteers to take week-long trips to the areas to help. Contact the District Office at 540-234-8555 if you have additional questions.
What else can we do?
What concerned Christians can do in the immediate aftermath is pray. Consider praying for the following needs:
- Pray for the safety of search and rescue teams, first responders and those grieving losses of life and property.
- Pray that localities tasked with emergency management will make sound decisions and find ways to provide water, food and medical supplies for their communities.
- Pray for families to be reunited and that lines of communication can be restored quickly.
- Pray that response organizations will be able to gear up quickly and arrive when they are needed to assist with clean-up and debris removal.
- Pray that the Children’s Disaster Services teams will be able to bring peace and love to the children in this situation as they are deployed.
- Pray that God will move on the hearts of those spared this tragedy to financially support Brethren Disaster Ministries and Church World Service so that aid may be given generously. More information about how to give will be forthcoming.
- Pray for the volunteers traveling to assist for the foreseeable future. Rebuilding projects across such a vast area will take a few years.
Click here to read Church of the Brethren General Secretary David Steele’s “Call to Prayer” and here to learn more about the storm’s deadly impacts. Follow Brethren Disaster Ministries on Facebook by clicking here.