Faith on the Ground: A Lutheran Response to Hurricane Helene
by Mark Brosch
Eleven people from three different Lutheran Churches traveled to Avery County North Carolina to offer helping hands to people who were devastated by Hurricane Helene. The trip was of benefit to the victims and heart wrenching but rewarding to the volunteers.
It is projected that recovery from this storm, in this area, will take up to 20 years. Until it can be seen firsthand, it is hard to imagine, and even harder to communicate the devastation that was caused by this “once in forever” storm. Mountain creeks turned into raging rivers. Severe flooding at 4,600 feet in elevation. Mudslides and landslides. Trees down everywhere, bridges washed out (in many cases, still), homes severely damaged at best, totally gone at worst. Personal belonging ruined or lost. Lives lost.
The base camp for this team of volunteers was Lutherock Camp and Conference Center (A Novusway campsite). Located in the heart of Avery County, on the west side of Sugar Mountain, Lutherock took a massive hit from Hurricane Helene. Roads washed out, estimate of 2,000 trees downed, rooms flooded. There was concern at one point that the camp would be in condition to have “camps” in 2025. But thanks to the many volunteers and donators Lutherock will open for business the first week in June.
Part of the team’s efforts on this trip was to finalize some projects (replace rotted cabin floor, tree and debris removal, install deck railing that was wiped out by mudslide) that needed to be done before camp could open. Mission accomplished!
The major work done by the volunteers was working with two “clients” (better name than “victims”) in the Avery County Community. These two projects were coordinated through Western Carolina Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). One team worked on the house of a single mom with three kids. The goal was to start the installation of flooring throughout the entire house. The team stayed a bit longer on Saturday and finished the entire house. Mission accomplished!
The other team worked at a house owned by a senior couple . Their house was built elevated 8” above ground level. At the peak of the flood, seven inches of water got into the house. Not as far along the recovery road as others, this team’s goal was to do debris and trash removal and paint the interior of the house. The team got all the walls and ceilings painted throughout the house and the deck was cleared to the point where the couple could sit outside and dream of moving back into their house. Mission accomplished!
Of course, there were the evening dinners and social hours that are such a meaningful part of a trip like this. Meeting new friends, sharing, joking, playing games and just relaxing make for a perfect recovery time. Mission accomplished!
But the real mission that is accomplished on a disaster recovery trip like this is what the volunteer takes home. In this case, what is received is much better than what is given. Receiving the appreciation, the smiles and looks of “there is hope” from the Clients is something that is never forgotten. Hopefully, there will be other trips in the future that others will be able to experience “Mission Accomplished”!
Click the images below for a glimpse into this project!
