From tornados in spring to hurricanes in late summer, we are accustomed to weather caused disasters in these United States. Environmental disasters have obviously occurred for millennia, but our societal responses have improved a great deal in recent years. My perspective comes from 20 years of personal involvement which began in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed into Mississippi and Louisiana in late August, 2005.
At that time, I learned the organization for relief in recent times. First, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), a division of The Department of Homeland Security, is charged with coordinating relief efforts and distributing grants of money in counties designated by the President as qualifying areas. Its website indicates that $214M in grants have been paid out to residents thus far in 2025. It recently had 20,000 employees across the country working from 10 primary offices. (fema.gov)
Because many more people are required, FEMA has a contract for services with the American Red Cross, a private non-profit, with 32,000 employees spread over 6 continents. But that number is also totally insufficient for the efforts needed. Therefore, federal law allows for contracting with the Salvation Army, Mennonite Disaster Services, and other voluntary service organizations, 44 eCFR 206.12 found in ecfr.gov.
The organizations with boots on the ground include Samaritans Purse, the Mennonites mentioned already, Catholic Charities, the Southern Baptist Convention, and others. With our freedom to choose, many thousands of residents choose to be trained and volunteer to be, in my words, good for nothing!
This is how our congregation first mobilized in September, 2005. We were given thousands of dollars worth of chain saws and other equipment by generous retailers in greater Kansas City. Then our volunteers spent months of time into 2006 mitigating the effects of flooding in Mississippi, Louisiana, and especially New Orleans. East of Poydras, Louisiana, led by Leighton Clemons of Raytown, the late Martin Coleman, and Richard Hampton of Independence, we were also able to build a new home for Ms. Evelyn, a survivor in her early 80’s, free to her.
Following this, we began to help residents of Missouri and surrounding states whenever tornados struck, particularly in the Joplin area following that EF5 level storm. Tomorrow, May 22, is the 14th anniversary of that disaster, which killed 158 people. In June 2023, a derecho hit the Bethany, Missouri, area and Texas Baptists help us finish 163 homesite clearings.
More recently, the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have been called out to work 16 times just in the first quarter of 2025, primarily for tornado and flood relief. Last October, our service was in greater Augusta, Georgia, to cut up the fallen pine and live oak trees existing in almost every homesite there. (Modr.org)
After the initial chain saw work was accomplished over several months, we were directed to participate with the Baptists on Mission in Burnsville, Yancey County, in western NC. It is home to about 19,000 residents north and east of Asheville. After Buncombe County (Ashville), Yancey County suffered the second most deaths. Altogether, more than 100 died in NC out of a total of 230 throughout the Southeast. Busick community recorded 31 inches of rain in 24 hours.
Since the average elevation in Yancey County is over 2,000’, it is no surprise no one had flood insurance. Therefore, there is no money for residents to repair their homes, much less to build a completely new home on one’s land. FEMA apparently also has no money left for them either. I have been privileged to join Missouri volunteer teams for two weeks in the past three months working from Burnsville headquarters.
The North Carolina Baptists on Mission has 6 different sites from which its work will be ongoing for several years. To date over 300 homes have been rehabilitated, more than 300 are in progress, and the goal for 2025 is for 1,000 completions. Over the area, their goal is to build at least 1,000 new homes for those who lost everything and have nothing to rehab. The materials and labor are 100 percent free of charge to the survivors.
There is plenty of horrible news available every day, but behind the scenes, people are coming together to help those dealt a tragedy. There is plenty of room and opportunity for more volunteers to help. (I have focused upon the Baptist involvement solely because that is my primary experience and knowledge.)