Superstorm survivors recount service, life change from Southern Baptist Dsaster Relief
LONG ISLAND (BP) -- "They came to not only repair my house, but they looked after my soul," said Colleen Phillips, describing Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers as "my silver lining in the storm." 
Hurricane Sandy not only damaged Phillips' house but ended her marriage. She returned to the house months later and began repairs, gutting the mold-infested walls. ...
Superstorm Sandy survivors buoyed by ongoing Baptist aid
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (BP) -- In the picturesque coastal village of Freeport on Long Island where superstorm Sandy's surge flooded homes with as much as eight feet of water, neighborhoods look back to normal -- at least on the outside. Sandy Rebuild project coordinator Bill Johnson said people from the affected area and beyond often ask him, "Why are you still here?" ... Eleven months after the storm, streets are clear of debris and most of the dumpsters that were filled with saltwater-soaked furniture, appliances and ruined contents of homes are gone. But pod storage containers still sit on driveways as homeowners work on the interiors of their homes. One local refers to the sight as the "new normal." Freeport is among the many affected areas where volunteer teams are working in New York and New Jersey to help homeowners put their lives back together. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) is part of the effort. Many residents like Barbara and Brian Hindley, who are in their 80s, didn't expect the magnitude of the surge and rode out the storm. Residents continue to live in their flooded-damaged homes, some with only partial power, while repairs are made. "We watched the water coming up the stairs," Barbara Hindley said. "We didn't expect it. We sat in chairs with blankets in the dark and waited for the night to be over." SBDR teams from North Carolina and Maryland did a complete tear-out of the first floor, built new stairs and floors. The Hindleys continue to live upstairs amidst ongoing repairs. Southern Baptists plan a two-year Sandy Rebuild effort, said Mickey Caison, SBDR recovery coordinator and overall director for the initiative. The partnership includes the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and North Carolina Baptist Men working in cooperation with the Baptist Convention of New York, Metro New York Baptist Association, New Jersey Net and local churches throughout North America to repair and help restore communities. Most of the work is on Long Island, where more than 60 percent of the state's recovery needs are located, and on Staten Island and in Allenwood, N.J. "Historically, SBDR is good at response with almost 90,000 trained volunteers and 1,600 mobile units," Caison said. Now, he said, "Our goal is to build a robust system of rebuild and recovery like Southern Baptists already have for disaster response. "Recovery can take two, three or more years," Caison said. "We've brought the help in the past and started the healing, and there's been a lot of times where we've shared the Gospel so we've brought hope in unique places. But by going in now with the rebuild and the recovery aspects of things we can stay involved with that family sometimes for weeks or months." Robert Kennedy, mayor of the village of Freeport, said he's thankful Southern Baptists and other groups are helping the community of 50,000 recover. Four thousand homes were damaged and 500 are still vacant. Sixty to 75 homes are tagged for demolition. "We're cautiously optimistic here," Kennedy said, "but everyone is a little nervous about storms now."
2nd VIEW: Disaster relief: Baptists help form multi-faceted partnership
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- When Superstorm Sandy approached the northeast coast last October, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders temporarily set up a command center in Harrisburg, Pa., as they awaited landfall.
Disaster relief: Baptists help form multi-faceted partnership
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- When Superstorm Sandy approached the northeast coast last October, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders temporarily set up a command center in Harrisburg, Pa., as they awaited landfall.
The North American Mission Board, which coordinates SBDR multi-state responses, quickly began to facilitate Southern Baptists' part of the large-scale relief effort for the hard-hit coast through its partnerships with Baptist state conventions; local, state and federal governments; the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army; and key corporations.
To effectively respond in times of crisis, partnerships must be formed in advance. "You can't wait and do it in the chaos of the moment," said Fritz Wilson, SBDR executive director. "We have a network in place that I can go to immediately as quickly as we know what is happening." Based on requests from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Wilson discussed with several state Baptist DR leaders the deployment of all Baptist conventions east of the Rockies. Several states, including Oklahoma, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina, deployed volunteer units immediately. Eventually, 25 state conventions deployed SBDR teams, making it one of the largest responses since Hurricane Katrina. Both the New York and New Jersey state conventions reached out to NAMB to coordinate the response, akin to most large-scale disasters when affected states request assistance. Wilson said because of the strong partnerships within SBDR, which includes volunteers from all 42 state conventions and Canada, Southern Baptists are able to respond to disasters anywhere in the world through NAMB, the International Mission Board and Baptist Global Response. North Carolina disaster relief director Gayland Moss, whose team was asked by New Jersey Baptists through NAMB to manage the response there, agreed that partnership is crucial to effective disaster response.Like a ‘boot camp’: Collegian adjusts to N.Y. disaster relief
"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (BP) -- College junior Lilly Bolar chose to forgo her regular spring break job -- posing children for Easter pictures in a mall photography studio -- to help clean Staten Island homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy, increasing her appreciation for hard work.
Collegians on spring break tackle Sandy’s grime
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (BP) -- Hurricane-soaked debris, mud and grime on Staten Island awaited the collegiate team.
On spring break, students clean up Sandy debris
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (BP) -- Staten Island resident Dominick Camerade was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. Five months after the storm ravaged the area, Camerade and others in the community continue repairing their lives.
WEEK OF PRAYER: ‘Miss Vickie’ a role model on campus
EDITOR’S NOTE: The annual Week of Prayer for North American Missions in Southern Baptist churches concluded March 13 in conjunction with the 2011 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, with a goal of $70 million to help pay the salaries and ministry support of 5,000-plus missionaries serving in North America under the SBC’s North American Mission Board. […]
Providing a Godly Role Model at MSU
College freshman Shemaiah Strickland suffered with horrible nightmares when she first came to Morgan State University in Baltimore. Adjusting to being away from her home in Atlanta for the first time, she said she just wanted to belong. Strickland attended a university organization fair and met North American Mission Board missionary Vickie Stewart, who was […]
BP 2010: YEAR IN REVIEW — Despite cancer, she ministers in multihousing communities
EDITOR’S NOTE: Baptist Press today is concluding a 12-part series re-publishing some of the most significant stories of 2010. Three stories have appeared each day, Tues.-Fri., Jan. 4-7. Baptist Press initially published the story below on March 9, 2010. The featured missionary, Vivian McCaughan, who left a vast footprint on Missouri Baptist life, died April […]
