Trees have smashed into houses, cars, and power lines. Homes and interstates have washed away. The death toll is still rising and numerous people remain without power, water, and access to nearby towns. The devastation from Hurricane Helene to the Southeast is truly unprecedented.
However, in the midst of the shocking loss and ruin the storm left in its wake, stories are emerging of neighbors going above and beyond to help one another. Among them are pastors, local churches, and Christian relief organizations. Russ Chambers, senior pastor of 4 Points Church in Duncan, South Carolina, described the strain of the past week in a statement to ChurchLeaders on Oct. 2.
“The expectation as a pastor is to show up, be a contractor, be everything to everyone and wear 55 hats at once,” said Chambers, comparing the “toll” on his family to what they experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns. He said, “I’ve worked 45 hours in three days and they are the ones suffering. I don’t have a chance to check on the ministries of the church. I haven’t written my sermon.”
Chambers said that his church had to decide whether to offer its limited resources to the members’ city or the members of their church and opted for the church members and the members’ neighbors.
“We have former tree loggers to help dig members out. People have contacts with restaurants to help feed families and meet to keep members going,” he said. Moreover, the church is “connecting with a completely cut off community in Asheville [in North Carolina] to donate and bring supplies tonight to care for that small outlying community.”
Hurricane Helene Ravages the Southeastern US
Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida gulf as a Category 4 hurricane on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 26, wreaking havoc across the Southeast, particularly Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Upon its landing, storm surges were between 10 and 20 feet, causing extensive flooding. Approximately 90% of the homes in Keaton Beach, Florida, are gone, according to CBS News.
Helene then tore through the region, covering inland areas that rarely, if ever, deal with hurricanes. Reports say that the region was already saturated from rainfall, which exacerbated the impact when the hurricane hit.
Helene diminished to a tropical depression by Friday and faded Saturday but left havoc so widespread it is difficult to describe. USA Today reports that power outages last week peaked at 4.5 million. As of Wednesday, over 1.1 million people were still without power in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with the latter three states having the most outages. That number has since improved as of this writing to over 700,000, according to PowerOutage.us.
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At least 215 people have been reported dead, including first responders who were assisting in rescue efforts, making Hurricane Helene the deadliest storm to hit mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds more people are missing.
Asheville, North Carolina, has been battered and flooded. Photos show city buildings partly submerged underwater or buildings so submerged that only the roofs are visible. People have lost power and cell phone service, and the flooded and damaged roads have cut residents off from other communities.