By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

RAINELLE, W.Va. — More than four weeks after this small town nestled in a valley in the mountains of West Virginia was hit hard by flooding, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams are still helping families get back into their homes.

More than 200 houses were damaged by flooding in late June. At least 23 people, including 15 in Rainelle, died the night flooding began.

Rainelle, though hit hard by the flooding, was not one of the original three sites chosen by the North American Mission Board to host an incident command post, but due to the need and travel time to and from Rainelle from Lewisburg, a fourth site was set up in Rainelle in the parking lot of a hardware store on Main Street owned by Rob Bowen. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

BIG ROCK — A Tennessee Baptist church facility, the home of a pastor, and the houses of several church members were flooded in the early hours of Thursday, July 7, here.

The worship center and Fellowship Center of Big Rock Baptist Church, Big Rock, were flooded. The worship center which included most of the church’s classrooms had two feet of water in it. Also two church vans were severely damaged.

The home of David Whitehead, pastor, Big Rock Baptist, was flooded. Several homes of members of the church also were damaged by flood waters, reported William Gray, director of missions, Judson, Stewart, and Truett Baptist Associations, based in Dover and Bon Aqua. Another resident who lived in a mobile home saw it washed from its location. [Read more…]

Editor’s Note: Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief has been asked by the North American Mission Board to oversee operations in the Rainelle, West Va., area. Efforts will include on site command, feeding volunteer teams, chaplains, assessors, and mud out teams. The Tennessee volunteers will be hosted by Calvary Baptist Church in Meadow Bridge, West. Va. Mud out teams are urgently needed. If interested in serving, contact Elizabeth Holmes in Tennessee Baptist DR at eholmes@tnbaptist.org or call 615-371-7926. Donations for disaster relief (designated for West Virginia) may be sent to TBC Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 728, Brentwood, TN 37024 or give online at www.tndisasterrelief.org.

 

By Josie Rabbitt & Jacob Brooks, NAMB

GREENBRIER COUNTY, W.Va. (BP) — Blue and “yellow” hard hats can be seen along eight West Virginia counties’ roads and streets — hats worn by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. Engaged in recovery assessment, the SBDR response teams are making their way through communities that were under water just days ago, answering calls for help from numerous West Virginians left without power, vehicles and even homes.

On June 23, torrential rains hit West Virginia, causing flooding that claimed at least 24 lives and more than 100 homes. More than 30,000 homes and businesses lost power.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) described the flooding as a “historic” tragedy and applauded the continued efforts of relief response teams such as the American Red Cross and various SBDR units, as reported by the Associated Press.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin tweeted his appreciation for state partners who provided critical resources to West Virginia as quickly as possible and announced that FEMA will expand federal funding to eight counties: Fayette, Clay, Roane, Summers, Monroe, Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas. [Read more…]