A day before Hurricane Helene brought devastation to areas of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, Georgia-Cumberland Conference ACS personnel were already responding. Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security (GEMA) officials had requested one of the conference's 3-stall shower trailers to serve evacuees at a shelter in Valdosta, GA.
Since then, the conference's second shower trailer has been setup at the same shelter, volunteers have packed and distributed hundreds of clean-up buckets, and vans, trucks, and trailers have been hauling water, first aid kits, personal hygiene kits, generators, tarps, and other supplies to Mountain City, TN; Newport, TN; Mountain City, TN; Valdosta, GA; and surrounding communities.
ACS personnel are also working with GEMA and Georgia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (GA VOAD) to setup a distribution center in Augusta, GA and East TN VOAD to manage a distribution center in Northeast Tennessee. Additionally, ACS personnel are in conversation with GEMA officials about operating a warehouse in South Georgia. Volunteers will be needed to help operate the distribution centers, and information on how to volunteer will be posted on the conference website when it becomes available.
Through this disaster though, there is much to praise God about. While some members and pastors have experienced flooding and other damage to their homes, there has been no reported loss of life or major damage reported to any of our schools, says Wesley Gennick, southern region director of education. There has been some reported damage though to five of our churches and one school, including the Adventist Christian School and Augusta First Church in Augusta, GA; Augusta Spanish American Church; Baxley Hispanic Church; Brunswick Hispanic Church; and Statesboro Church.
Stay up-to-date on how ACS is serving communities across our conference and how you can help with relief efforts by following the latest updates on the Conference website. |
