Liberty Baptist Church, Covington, has hosted Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief since a tornado struck their community March 31-April 1. The church us continuing to host teams for the next few weeks as volunteers complete jobs yet to be done.
MOUNT JULIET —Disaster relief efforts concluded in McNairy County on April 22, but are expected to continue for at least three more weeks in Covington.
Tornadoes and severe storms swept across the central and southern portions of the United States, including Tennessee, on March 31 and the early morning hours of April 1, causing extensive damage and leaving a reported 15 people dead in Tennessee.
The two hardest hit areas were Covington and McNairy County.
Kaye Thomas, along with her husband, John, served as incident commanders in McNairy County at First Baptist Church, Selmer.
DR teams completed 51 chain saw jobs and tarped nine houses, she said.
“We had two teams on Saturday (April 22) who completed everything that was left to be done,” Thomas said.
Thomas praised the efforts of the volunteers and the people in the community. “Being here only three weeks was a credit to the community.”
In addition to the DR teams, neighbors helped neighbors and friends helped friends.
“There was a lot of damage but everybody working together helped get it done quickly,” she said.
Russ Wilkins, associational missions strategist for Shiloh Baptist Association, expressed appreciation for the DR volunteers.
“Time and time again, I talked with people in the community who bragged about what a great job the DR volunteers did,” he said. “Individuals said they went above and beyond what they expected.”
Wilkins related that a couple of homeowners said they would have never been able to get done what the volunteers did for them and they were very thankful.
Meanwhile, the recovery efforts are ongoing in Covington, and Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief issued a callout last week for additional volunteers for that area.
Karen Wilson and her husband, Tommy, are coordinating the incident command post from Liberty Baptist Church in Covington.
DR teams began arriving in Covington just hours after an EF-3 tornado ripped through the area on April 1.
Volunteers have continued working there in the three-plus weeks since, and have completed 66 jobs (as of April 23). Thus far, there have been 126 work orders that have come pouring in since the storm.
“The work in Covington is gradually progressing,” Karen Wilson said. “We have completed 66 very large chain saw requests and are beginning to make some headway as fewer requests are now being made. We continue to offer laundry/shower service to volunteers and community members.”
Wilson added: “As the work progresses toward recovery, I am reminded of a quote by Charles Spurgeon: ‘By perseverance the snail reached the ark.’ ”
Jones
Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, noted that there are still more than 60 chain saw jobs to finish in the Covington area.
Jones said skid steers would be helpful in the continued recovery efforts along with volunteers to serve on the mass feeding team.
All teams will report to Liberty Baptist Church in Covington.
Team leaders are asked to call 615-969-0410 or e-mail drelief@tnbaptist.org to register their teams.
Volunteers interested in serving on the feeding unit can call Troy Weaver at 615-533-9891 or troyweaver5663@gmail.com. Volunteers also are requested to copy their e-mails to wjones@tnbaptist.org and eholmes@tnbaptist.org.
Jones praised the volunteers who have worked in both McNairy County and Covington.
“I am grateful for the work the volunteer teams put in as they worked in McNairy County and counties east of there,” Jones said. “I want to say, ‘thank you!’ to First Baptist Church, Selmer, for being such great hosts for the teams.
“I continue to praise God for the leadership and volunteer teams that continue to serve in the Tipton County area,” Jones said.
“Many of the job requests are large jobs with huge trees. We are so grateful for Liberty Baptist Church in Covington that continues to host us, and we are so thankful to all the Tennessee Baptist churches and individuals that continue to support us in the work that is going on.”
A “2023 Tornado Fund” has been established at TnDisasterRelief.org for those who wish to assist in recovery efforts. B&R
