Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, from top of photo, Kenny Street, Tommy Wilson and Butch Porch, work on a clearing a tree at a resident’s home in Spring, Texas.
SPRING, Texas — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were reminded again this week that there is strength in numbers.
Joining forces with other volunteers from several different states, a trio of teams from Tennessee was able to assist the recovery process in southeast Texas, where residents are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Beryl. The Tennessee groups included chain saw and heavy equipment teams.
Bill Lowe, disaster relief team leader for JST, arrived with his team in Spring, Texas, on Sunday, July 21, along with a team from West Tennessee, led by Butch Porch. Lowe said the teams went right to work — and there was plenty to do.
“At this location alone, there were 333 job requests,” he said. “So far, 170 of those have been completed.”
Hurricane Beryl ripped through parts of Texas on the morning of July 8. News outlets reported that the deadly storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane and pummeled regions around the Houston area. Nearly three million people were left without electricity, and 20 people lost their lives amid the storm and its aftermath, according to reports.
The JST team and the West Tennessee team — comprised of volunteers from Brownsville, Jackson, Memphis, Dresden and Mercer — were scheduled to remain in Texas through Saturday, July 27.
Lowe noted that volunteers from Florida, Georgia and, of course, Texas were also aiding the recovery efforts.
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers gather for a meal during their response effort in Spring, Texas. The team is being hosted by Spring Baptist Church.
Although the trip has had some challenges, including some rough weather in the middle of the week, there has been many highs for Lowe and his team.
“We worked a job yesterday that really affected everyone on my team,” he said. “We were able to do some work for a facility that helps abused women called ‘Redeemed Ministries.’
“One of the staff members told me that many of the women (who are being helped by the ministry) were devastated by the damage that had been done to the property. But when the DR volunteers, and others, came in and started cleaning up their property, it really brightened their day. They saw that there is hope and they were so thankful for what we were doing.”
The women’s reaction, in turn, helped lift the spirits of the DR volunteers, Lowe said.
“We’re not down here to get a pat on the back, but it sure makes you feel good when you are able to help someone who appreciates what you are doing,” he said.
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief deployed three teams to southeast Texas, where they gathered with DR volunteers from several other states to assist those who were impacted by Hurricane Beryl. In this photo, Butch Porch drives the skid steer near a home in Spring, Texas.
The midweek weather forced the TBDR teams to take an unplanned — and frankly, unwanted — break from their assignments. It also created a potential change in the travel plans, with the teams possibly leaving Texas sooner than scheduled.
“It’s been a trying week,” said Karen Wilson, incident command coordinator. “The rain and the mud have really created challenges. Maybe God is trying to keep us humble. Or, actually, I think it’s the adversary, trying to get us down.”
Wilson noted that the mud has made things especially challenging. It resulted in some of the equipment bogging down and, in once instance, even getting stuck, which created more work.
Lowe said the work at the Redeemed Ministries facility made for a memorable day, especially for one team member, in particular, who was on his first out-of-state response.
“He was kind of struggling with the process, to be honest,” said Lowe. “But after we helped Redeemed Ministries, he said ‘that was worth the trip down here.’ And that’s really how everyone on the team felt. We were so glad we got that job and were able to help them out.”
It’ s been a busy stretch for many TBDR volunteers.
Earlier in July, Tennessee teams responded in Iowa, where certain parts of the state were still reeling from the effects of heavy rains that fell in late June.The downpours resulted in rivers rising to record-breaking levels and impacted thousands of homes.
A disaster relief team team from Knox County served in Iowa from July 14-20, and another Knox County team served in Texas last week.
Teams and volunteers who are able to respond to disasters should contact DR specialist Wes Jones at wjones@tnbaptist.org, or other DR staffers Elizabeth Holmes (eholmes@tnbaptist.org) and Garry Maddox (gmaddox@tnbaptist.org).
Donations to Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief can be made at tndisasterrelief.org/contributions. Click on either “Hurricane” or “Floods.” B&R
