By Brandon Elrod
ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Hurricane Michael made landfall just two miles per hour short of a Category 5 storm Wednesday (Oct. 10), taking a direct shot to the Florida Panhandle near Mexico Beach, Fla. The storm was the third strongest in recorded United States history, the strongest to hit the Continental U.S. in 14 years and the strongest ever to hit the Panhandle.
Panama City, Fla., Mexico Beach and several towns in between have been decimated as they endured the brunt of Michael’s punch. Linda Albrecht, a Mexico Beach Councilwoman, told CNN, “It feels like a nightmare.” More than 350,000 lost power in Florida.
Debris scatters an area in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla. Southern Baptists are preparing their disaster relief response to aid those impacted by the storm. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) are poised to respond. Baptists have identified potential locations that will host feeding and recovery teams in Florida: Tallahassee, Lynn Haven, Perry, Crawfordville and Spring Hill.
“The damage in twelve county areas has been devastating,” said Delton Beall, state director of Florida Baptist Disaster Relief. “Bay County has received the brunt of it. We are planning and staging a response, but Florida is still in a search and rescue phase. We continue to ask for Southern Baptists’ prayers.”
Search and rescue teams are going door-to-door in the hardest hit counties, and SBDR teams will not be allowed in until that process is complete.
The North American Mission Board (NAMB) provides national coordination and assistance in larger, multi-state responses for SBDR. NAMB president Kevin Ezell encouraged Southern Baptists to pray and prepare to serve in whatever way they can.
“I have told our Baptist leaders in Florida and Georgia that NAMB is here to support them and provide whatever they need,” Ezell said. “Hurricane Michael became an historic storm almost overnight. The survivors will need every prayer, dollar and helping hand that we can send them. Southern Baptists, we have an opportunity send help, healing and the hope of the gospel to people who have lost everything.”
After pulverizing Florida, Hurricane Michael continued across the Southeast at hurricane strength through the night Wednesday until it reached Browndale, Ga., covering roughly 230 miles from where the storm made landfall with gale-force winds and several inches of rain.
Marshall Shepherd, director of the University of Georgia’s atmospheric sciences program and former president of the American Meteorological Society, called Hurricane Michael “a life-altering, society-altering situation,” according to The Verge.
“Storms of this magnitude and impact, the name is typically retired,” he said. “And I fully expect this to be the case for Michael.”
In Alabama and Georgia, around 150,000 residents are without power. SBDR teams in those states have identified potential locations in Dothan, Ala., Bainbridge, Ga., Donalsonville, Ga., and Albany, Ga.
American Red Cross has asked SBDR to prepare to serve up to 30,000 meals a day. SBDR teams reported more than 2,000 volunteers are ready to go and serve with recovery and feeding units. Sixteen SBDR kitchens from 11 different Baptist state disaster relief teams are available. Those kitchens have the capacity to serve more than 200,000 meals per day if needed.
South Carolina and North Carolina, still recovering from Hurricane Florence, will see Michael roll through as a tropical storm from Thursday to Friday.
“Southern Baptists will send several hundred volunteers to serve those who have been ravaged by Hurricane Michael,” said Sam Porter, national director for disaster relief with NAMB. “Hundreds of volunteers will continue to serve people in the Carolinas and across the nation who have been affected by disasters.”
Porter mentioned SBDR teams are still helping flood survivors from Texas to Pennsylvania. Volunteers have been providing clean up after tornadoes hit Oklahoma and clearing ash following wildfires in the West.
David Melber, the president of Send Relief, which is NAMB’s compassion ministry arm, thanked Southern Baptists for their persistent disaster relief service, and urged SBDR volunteers to make plans to serve in the coming weeks and months.
“Hurricane Michael caused so much damage that people will need storm recovery help for the foreseeable future,” said Melber. “If volunteers are unable to serve in the immediate aftermath, the people of Georgia and Florida will still need assistance several weeks from now. I encourage you to make plans to be there.”
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is among the three largest providers of disaster relief assistance in the United States. Southern Baptist churches, associations and state conventions all partner to mobilize volunteers, resources and equipment to provide services. The North American Mission Board provides national coordination and assistance in larger, multi-state responses.
Visit namb.net/hurricane-relief to donate and find ways to serve with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.
Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board.