HURRICANE FLORENCE UPDATES
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
As the response to the disaster caused by Hurricane Florence shifts into longer-term recovery, there are still great needs in all of the affected regions.
CBFNC is focusing attention at this time on two neglected areas:
Trenton and Columbus County. While the needs are tremendous throughout eastern North Carolina,
these two have been identified as high needs/low resources.
For information on how you can help in these two areas, contact the following leaders:
We are grateful for the generous outpouring of support already received from the CBFNC community.
We welcome additional gifts for Florence response, which can be given here.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
CBFNC leaders continue to stay in regular communication with church leaders in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence. In particular, we are receiving regular updates from churches in the following counties: Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Jones, New Hanover, Robeson and Wayne.
Here are the themes that emerged from our most recent conversation:
From Relief to Recovery
While there are still needs for food and emergency supplies in some areas, in general, the situation in most areas is shifting from immediate relief to long-term recovery. Businesses, schools and churches are re-opening in many areas, though there is great need for repair work on houses that were flooded or suffered wind damage. Many people in each of these counties have been displaced from their homes.
Partnership
Churches have received help from a variety of sources. Of course, Baptists on Mission and CBF are on the ground in eastern NC, and are our primary partners, but CBF churches are also working with Mennonites, Salvation Army, and other groups. In fact, through our CBFNC collaboration, churches in areas with lesser needs have been able to re-route volunteers to areas of greater need. A good example is Scot McCosh (pastor of Mt. Pisgah, Fayetteville) who was able to connect a group from Alabama with Ryan Clore (pastor of First, Whiteville). That group is being housed at First, Whiteville while they serve in Columbus County.
Workers Needed
Workers are needed to help with debris removal, drywall tear-out, mud-out, and other tasks. There are many volunteer opportunities, and we would refer you to two in particular:
Housing Availability
Paul Burgess (pastor, Winter Park, Wilmington) and Matt Cook (pastor, First, Wilmington) report that housing for volunteer teams is available in their churches. Other churches (e.g. Godwin Heights and First, Lumberton; First, Whiteville; First, New Bern) are also housing volunteers, but are full at this time. We will notify you when housing becomes available at these churches.
Long-term Needs
Recovery from Florence will take a long time. Workers and funds will be be needed for months, and perhaps years. Donations given to CBFNC Disaster Response will be used by churches in the affected regions to minister in their communities as they maintain a long-term presence. You may donate here:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=122157
From Katrina to Florence
Scott Thrailkill (associate pastor, First, Goldsboro) reports that their church worked with CBF in Pearlington, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, over a decade ago. Recently, residents of Pearlington reached out to First, Goldsboro, with offers of assistance. Through networking in our fellowship, the resources from Pearlington are being deployed in eastern North Carolina. We never know how the ministry we provide in one situation or season may bear fruit in another, in ways we might never imagine!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
No doubt, many of our churches affected by Hurricane Floyd have small business owners who have been affected by property damage, road closures, and lack of fiscal resources. The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina has banded together to take calls and provide assistance to small- to mid-size businesses needing immediate help in recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Florence. Partners in the response offer services including help with developing post-storm recovery strategies, access to short-term capital to support immediate cleanup costs and cover lost revenue, and longer-term programs to repair physical damage and recover from more significant economic losses. North Carolina’s hurricane-related collaboration of federal, state, and nonprofit partners has created NC Open for Business, a one-stop-website, at to more efficiently assist the state’s business owners in their disaster recovery efforts. Businesses affected by the hurricane can find a step-by-step guide on what to do once the storm has passed and the waters have receded. Resources are updated daily.
Help for Small Businesses: The Small Business Administration is making special loans available for businesses affected by Hurricane Florence. For more information, click here.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
NOTICE FROM THE REALTORS RELIEF FOUNDATION
Click here to access a notice from the Realtors Association. This document derscribes how to obtain financial assistance of up to $1,500 for hurricane survivors who were forced to leave their rental or mortgaged home. Please share resource this with your congregations and communities.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
We trust that Cooperative Baptists across North Carolina and beyond continue to pray and support our brothers and sisters in eastern NC who have been impacted by the winds and floods produced by Florence. In addition to volunteer opportunities offered through North Carolina Baptists on Mission, here are the most recent updates:
Supplies for Lumberton - The city of Lumberton is receiving the following supplies for Robeson County. They should be delivered to 2300 N Cedar Street in Lumberton.
Toiletries (including dental supplies)
Diapers (child and adult all sizes)
Baby Formula (all types) & wipes
Underwear & Socks (adult and child - male and female)
First Aid Items
Factory Sealed Medications
Cleaning Supplies
Can Goods
Blankets and Bed Pillows
Box Fans
Hand Sanitizer
Bottled Water
Work Gloves, Utility and Latex/Nitrile Gloves
Flash Lights w/ Batteries
Trash Bags
Heavy Duty Cleanup Bags
Boxes
If you prefer, you may donate supplies for Robeson County directly through Amazon by clicking here.
Help for Trenton - Rick Burnette and Alan Williams from CBF Global Disaster Response have come to North Carolina and visited some of the affected communities in our state. They discovered a neglected community, Trenton, outside of New Bern, that has received no outside help. As work can be organized there, they will invite Cooperative Baptists from outside North Carolina to participate in ministry in that community. Of course, CBFNC folks are welcome to join in. If interested, contact Alan Williams (alan.williams@cbf.net, 404-270-0772).
Church Leader Collaboration - CBFNC conducted a second conference call on Monday for pastors and church leaders in the affected regions. The situation in most communities is becoming more stable and response is shifting from immediate crisis to recovery. Columbus County is an area of great need with relatively little outside support and may be a focus in coming days. CBFNC leaders continue to assess, communicate, connect and partner to support those in the affected areas, especially the most neglected.
Give - Please give to the CBFNC Disaster Response Fund. One hundred percent of the funds collected will be used to address local needs identified by CBFNC partner churches.
- Larry Hovis,
Executive Coordinator
Monday, September 17, 2018
As the remnants of Hurricane Florence move north, our state moves in to recovery mode. Rivers continue to rise and many communities are still under threat. CBFNC has been attempting to communicate with churches in the affected regions over the weekend, to express care and concern, and churches in other parts of the start are asking how they can help. Here are our priorities today:
Pray - Please continue to pray for our neighbors in eastern North Carolina, not only those who have experienced loss, but those seeking to minister to them.
Serve - Right now, our mission partners, Baptists on Mission (NCBM), who specialize in disaster response, have set up operations in several locations.
They have the infrastructure to help those in need. They need volunteers. Please visit their website for updates and opportunities.
Give - As with Hurricane Matthew, CBFNC will receive donations for Disaster Response. Such funds will be utilized to assist partner churches in the affected regions minister in their communities, to address short-term and longer-term needs. Click here to donate.
Patience - We all are anxious to help now. But the effects of this storm, and recovery efforts, will go on for months to come. CBFNC is not a disaster response organization. We are a missional fellowship that cares for one another and our communities. We are committed to serve our churches and communities, especially the most neglected, in ways consistent with our unique capacities, for as long as it takes.
- Larry Hovis,
Executive Coordinator
Sunday, September 16, 2018
If your congregation was able to gather for worship this morning, be thankful. Many in our fellowship did not have that blessing. As we are able, CBFNC leaders have been seeking to communicate with church leaders whose communities have borne the brunt of Florence. The full extent of the damage will not be known for several days. Many roads, including portions of Interstates 40 and 95, are closed.
As we have information about disaster recovery opportunities, we will share them, but that will take some time. Until then, let us continue to shower our brothers and sisters with our prayers.
The following prayer was offered by Rev. Amy McClure, Associate Pastor at First, Winston-Salem, in that congregation’s worship this morning, and speaks for all of us in CBFNC.
Present and Holy God,
We come before you this morning knowing that you hear our prayers at all times, so we offer up to you the things on our hearts and in our minds.
This morning our minds are flooded with thoughts for so many who have been affected by Hurricane Florence. Even as we join together to come to you this morning in prayer, there are so many who are stranded in shelters, many who are soaking wet trying to wade through the water to get help, many senior adults who were unable to evacuate and are waiting to hear from family, and many who are not quite sure where the money will come from to do the necessary repairs to their damaged homes. For all of those people, we pray.
We pray for our sister churches on the coast who are working diligently to help their communities in this time of crisis. We pray you will keep them safe, give them strength and energy, and equip them with the resources needed to come alongside so many in their communities.
We pray for the children who are scared and aren’t quite sure they still have their toys, their pets, and their sense of security. Put people in their path who can love them well and calm their anxiety and stress.
For the first responders and emergency personnel both on the coast and here who are working tirelessly to make sure all are safe, we give thanks for their dedication and pray that you keep them safe. We pray for their families who spend those moments worrying about them while they are out and pray you will give them a peace that only you can provide…
With all of who we are, we give you thanks for Jesus, the one who came so that we may all have life and have it abundantly and the one who taught us to pray saying….”Our Father…”
- Larry Hovis,
Executive Coordinator