JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The remnants of Hurricane Helene unleashed devastating floods across Appalachia and East Tennessee one year ago, but the storm still rages for many. News crews have long since departed, but the quiet, persistent work of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers continues far from the spotlight, helping people rebuild and recover.
“Over 500 homes were destroyed and another three or 400 homes were damaged bad enough that they couldn’t be lived in until they were repaired,” said Garry Maddox, coordinator for TBDR’s Arise and Build initiative.
The response from TBDR was immediate. Teams had been put on standby the day before, with the expectation of possible severe wind and flood damage.
“From day one,” Maddox said, “We had DR volunteers onsite in East Tennessee helping people, working with folks and starting to clean up houses. The damage literally covered from beyond Mountain City south to the Newport area and was extensive along the Nolichucky and Pigeon Rivers.”
The initial phase was a massive undertaking. Volunteers brought in water trucks, shower and laundry units, and feeding stations to support displaced residents. Teams then moved into the cleanup, conducting mud-outs and clearing debris from hundreds of homes to prepare them for the long road to recovery.
By December, the mission transitioned from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding. The statistics Maddox shares are a testament to the dedication of Tennessee Baptists. “Since the beginning of the recovery operation, we’ve had over 33,552 volunteer hours from Tennessee Baptist,” he said. “We have helped over 862 families and we have done over 552 jobs.”
Beyond the on-site effort, the work is fueled by the generosity of people across the state, and nation, including other Baptist state conventions. “Overall, Tennessee Baptists and others have given millions of dollars through special offerings and the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions,” Maddox noted. “We’ve also received and incredible amount of materials, from cleaning supplies to lumber. The response has been amazing.” Financially, $4,422,640.65 has been donated to the Arise and Build initiative of East Tennessee Disaster Relief.
Despite this monumental effort, the work is far from finished. Maddox estimates that only about 20 percent of the necessary new home construction has been completed.
“A lot of great work has been done. However, there are still a couple of hundred homes that need to be built for families,” he explained. “This tragedy has been out of the news for a year now. But don’t forget us over here in East Tennessee, there’s plenty of work to be done and there are a lot of people that are still hurting.”
The need for more hands is urgent. TBDR is currently averaging two to three volunteer teams per week, but the demand requires more. “We could easily use another four to five teams per week for the next year,” Maddox said. “An average of five teams per week would also average one home being completed per week.”
For Maddox and the TBDR volunteers, this work is more than just hammers and nails. It is a ministry. The disaster has opened doors for spiritual support and connection in a profound way.
“This has been one of the worst disasters that has ever hit Tennessee. However, it’s also given us lots of opportunities to serve people in Jesus’ name, to come beside them in their time of need and to share the gospel with them,” Maddox shared. “Because you gave and have come to help, people affected by Hurricane Helene are hearing about Jesus.”
If you’d like more information about how to financially contribute or be involved in the rebuilding effort, visit TNDisasterRelief.org/ariseandbuild.
This article originally appeared in the Baptist and Reflector.
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