Disciple: Answering the Call
Rebuilding After Hurricane Matthew
By Christine McTaggart
On October 8, 2016, Hurricane Matthew, a destructive storm that had already hit Haiti and was expected to make landfall in Florida, instead turned and unleashed its wind and rain on the eastern half of North Carolina.
In its wake it left massive flooding, towns damaged and homes destroyed, utilities down and thousands of people displaced with few or no personal resources.
It would be days before the full extent of the damage would be known, but early reports let us know the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry was especially hard hit, with many of the farmworkers served by the ministry left with nothing and desperately needing shelter and supplies. The town of Lumberton sustained severe damage, and Tarboro residents could only hope and wait as they watched their town’s namesake river continue to rise for days after the storm had gone.
As information was shared with the offices of the Diocese of North Carolina, we, in turn, shared it with you.
And you answered the call.
YOU BROUGHT IT
The first call put out from the Diocese aimed at relief for the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, which in those first few days needed primarily food and clothing. Within 24 hours of sharing word of the need, three fully loaded cargo vehicles were headed east to deliver supplies. By the next week, a cargo truck was needed to deliver all that had come in over the first few days.
Eight churches around the diocese volunteered to be collection points, making it easier for folks to drop off donations and helping to get those donations where they were needed.
Churches such as St. Paul’s, Cary, and Good Shepherd, Raleigh, made regular Monday stops to diocesan offices for weeks following the storm to unload truckload after truckload of requested supplies.
Given the speed at which donations came through Diocesan House, we were never able to tally how much food or the volume of clothing, bedding and other supplies we processed. But in addition to those first three vehicles, a cargo truck was rented on three more occasions to shuttle materials to both the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry and areas in the eastern part of the diocese. This was all in addition to the loads of goods coordinated and delivered directly by the churches serving as collection points.
YOU GAVE OF YOURSELF
Goods were not the only things donated in Hurricane Matthew’s aftermath. The time so many gave to make sure needs were met held as much or more value than any item ever could.
Reid Joyner, volunteer diocesan coordinator for Episcopal Relief & Development, worked countless hours getting updates, coordinating efforts, reaching out to responding agencies and serving as the response point person for anyone and everyone interested in volunteering time and services. He continues in that role as churches, youth groups and individuals with skills are planning trips to recovering areas to assist with rebuilding.
Volunteers came to Diocesan House to help sort all of the donated goods and clothing that came through so the burden of having to do so would not fall on those on the receiving end. More volunteers worked within churches coordinating efforts, gathering donations, shuttling them to Diocesan House and helping to unload them.
Diocesan staff was unfailingly patient as offices were commandeered for storage, muscles recruited for loading and unloading, and days often interrupted with special needs and requests.
Bruce Weigert, husband of Canon Marlene Weigert, diocesan canon to the ordinary for administration and a key member of the response team, stood ready to obtain and drive the delivery truck whenever it was needed. And we don’t even know the number of volunteers who stood ready on the receiving end to help unload and distribute it all. But we know you were there, too.
THANK YOU
It is one thing to know the world is populated with good people, but it’s entirely another to see it in action. Neighbors around the state of North Carolina were in trouble, and the people of the Diocese of North Carolina – you – responded. No matter what items were on the lists, you brought them. No matter what was needed, you did it. No matter what call was put out, you answered it. You answered immediately, and you continue to answer.
Thank you. Thank you for coming to the assistance of those in need. Thank you for inspiring and lifting up those on the front lines of response. Thank you for your support, your generosity and your prayers.
Over the last few months, we’ve learned a great deal about how to respond to a crisis, and while we sincerely hope we’ll never again have to use that hard-earned knowledge, we rest easy knowing that whatever comes, we can count on the wonderful, giving people of the Diocese of North Carolina to walk with us as we respond to whatever’s needed.
SPOTLIGHT
Mercy knows no boundaries. Though its location falls outside of diocesan borders, Lumberton, North Carolina, was among the hardest-hit areas in Hurricane Matthew’s path. Upon learning the plight of the town’s residents, St. John’s, Charlotte, almost immediately pledged assistance, a pledge that included a promise that assistance would continue as long as it was needed.
It started with the Weather Channel. The Rev. Nancee Cekuta, associate rector at St. John’s, watched a story on Lumberton and the impact the storm was having on it. She was moved, and when a parishioner approached her the next day to ask if she’d seen it, they knew they wanted to respond. As their efforts got underway, they discovered many parishioners at St. John’s have ties to the area, which only deepened the resolve to help.
Since the week of the storm, members of St. John’s have driven the four hour and 40-minute roundtrip to deliver at least one carload, often more, of whatever supplies are on the needs list that week. Funds have also been collected, and the church makes sure the money is spent on building supplies and other materials, purchased locally to help rebuild Lumberton’s local economy.
St. John’s parishioners have championed special projects as well. One gentleman who owns an appliance store is working to raise funds to be able to deliver at least 100 mattresses to rebuilt homes in early January, when families will be moving in and working to re-establish and replenish their homes.
“We told them we’re in this for the long haul, and relationships have developed,” said Cekuta. “At this point, it’s pretty much the same group of volunteers showing up regularly, and they’ve made friends with the folks on the other end. It’s not a stranger helping to unload the car when they arrive, it’s Eddie. The relational piece has really developed, which means we’re not just filling barrels or providing goods anymore.”
There is still much work to be done in Lumberton; for those interested in assisting, please contact the Rev. Nancee Cekuta.
Christine McTaggart is the communications director for the Diocese of North Carolina.
Tags: North Carolina Disciple
