What Can We Do?
What Can We Do: Best practices and donation opportunities for responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene
By Rev. Allie Osborne | Minister of Missions and Children’s Discipleship
As we all know, Hurricane Helene made landfall over the Florida panhandle and traveled north through Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. This enormous storm system brought with it high winds, tornados and damaging and deadly floods. We felt Helene here in Atlanta, and we are watching our neighbors in the mountains assess tremendous damage to property and loss of life.
After the power was restored and flood water receded, the question I was met with most on Sunday morning was, “What are we going to do?” And that’s a fantastic question—what is the church supposed to do in response to natural disasters so close to home?
So, let’s walk through some best practices:
Step 1: If anyone is in immediate danger and you have the means to safely assist them, do so.
Step 2: Stay out of the way! There are people who have the training and resources to respond quickly in disasters. Pray for them as they do their job.
Step 3: Assess the damages closest to you (even if they aren’t the worst of them!)—are there family members, neighbors or church members who need help?
Step 4: Donate! Money can be the most vital resource in rebuilding after a natural disaster. Giving to an organization that is already equipped with connections and resources will stretch your dollars much further than you will.
Step 5: Settle in for the long game. Unless you are a first responder, your skills will likely not be useful until much later. Volunteer opportunities will likely pop-up months after a disaster.
CBF disaster response is a player in long-game recovery with a focus on rehabilitation after the first responders have done their job. Please consider donating through their website: https://www.classy.org/give/524668/#!/donation/checkout. And here’s a great place to donate to immediate disaster relief in North Carolina: https://pay.payitgov.com/ncdonations
We will continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Helene as our community cleans up, rebuilds and mourns a great loss. If you, your neighbors, your family members or others in our immediate community are in need of support from Second-Ponce, please reach out to me at aosborne@spdl.org.