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An “Unexpected” Storm
A week ago today, Helene struck Upstate South Carolina. No one expected the storm to affect our part of the world so dramatically. The models projected the storm would make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, then pass through Georgia west of I-75 before heading into Tennessee. But the storm kept veering to the east, passing through Southeast Georgia, resulting in considerable damage in my hometown of Waycross. The storm then moved through East Georgia and into our part of South Carolina for several hours before moving on into Western North Carolina, where the devastation has been unimaginable.
We lost power for nearly four full days in Tigerville, where I live. In the wider metropolitan Greenville area, there are still neighborhoods and communities without power one week later. We live in a house that is owned by North Greenville University and is adjacent to the main campus. On our immediate property, which is about 4.5 wooded acres, at least ten trees fell that we can see easily from the house, though most of them were in the woods. Two trees fell across our driveway, blocking us in completely, but the NGU Campus Enhancement Services team moved them within a few hours.
On the North Greenville campus proper, numerous trees were down and there was some minor flooding. Some of the trees were quite large, including a beautiful oak in front of Tigerville Baptist Church on the northwest corner of campus. However, there was minimal damage to buildings or vehicles, all things considered, for which we praise the Lord. At the same time, we are mindful that a number of our faculty and staff (and presumably students) suffered far greater property damage to their homes and vehicles.
Our church, Taylors First Baptist, where I serve as part-time teaching pastor, was without power for six or seven days. The power came back on at different times on different parts of the campus. There was some damage, but again, it was relatively minimal in the grand scheme of things. Numerous church members suffered far more significant damage to their homes or vehicles. The church’s Reach Team continues to serve folks in our community who are without power and/or who lack access to nutritious meals.
All of us in the Greenville area have relatives and close friends in other parts of Georgia or the Carolinas who are in even worse shape than us. The death toll is rising, especially in Western North Carolina, and may not be fully known for weeks. The total extent of the damage is still being ascertained. Nobody knows how much it will cost, or how long it will take, for the Southeast to recover.
Opinion Column
I published a column today for World Opinions that talks about how the Tigerville community came together to care for each in the aftermath of the storm. Here is the conclusion:
Americans are at their best when they remember we are a nation of communities, where neighbors are known and look after one another. When our communities come together to respond to a tragedy, we are reminded that people and place matter. In such times, the neighbors whom Jesus calls us to love really are our neighbors.
I actually wrote the column a couple days ago. If I were writing it now, I could include even more stories. Sometimes, it takes a disaster to remind us just how much people and place matter.
Baptists Respond to the Storm
Our church is part of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and North Greenville is a ministry partner of that convention. Because of our location just a few minutes from the North Carolina state line, we also have a close relationship with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. If you want to read about how churches and disaster relief units in those state conventions are responding to the storm, check out the websites of the Baptist Courier (SC) and the Biblical Recorder (NC), each of which publishes new content each day. A good place to start is this story about Grace Baptist Church in West Asheville, where our friends Branton Burleson and Ross Smith serve as two of the pastors.
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