The Journey
Our team embarked on a pre-dawn journey to Spruce Pine United Methodist Church, our base of operations for the coming days. We navigated through winding routes and traffic standstills due to road closures, both actual and GPS-perceived.
Devastation and Challenges
The devastation we’ve witnessed and heard about since arriving is overwhelming. Our hearts ache for the massive losses and the harsh reality facing residents:
- Many people lost everything; I saw just slabs where homes stood by small creeks that swelled to massive rivers
- Water to homes and sewer management may take months to years to restore.
- In more remote places (off major roads) there is no power. Some may remain without electricity until March
- Winter months pose a significant threat
- Due to delays with power and access, repairing homes will take even longer than originally feared.
The Western NC Conference UMCOR leader emphasized that keeping people alive through winter is now the primary focus.
Today’s Focus:
We assessed a property belonging to a middle school special education teacher with two college-aged children. Their home suffered major flooding on the first floor and basement. Thanks to volunteers, much of the debris and mud have been cleared. Tomorrow, we’ll remove more damaged walls and flooring. We also are assessing another property where the mud unfortunately is mixed with propane in a basement area. We are not yet sure that home will be safe to work in while we are here. Additionally, we delivered several flood buckets some of which were picked up almost immediately.
Sparks of Hope
Despite the challenges, two experiences today ignited my hope:
- The Church’s Goodness: You see it all around. Just one example from today was that our tired UMCOR leader, Al, delayed his return home (a two-hour drive) to help a woman in need of heating fuel, prioritizing service over personal time. He had not seen his grandchildren since the storm and was telling us earlier that he just needed some time with them to help lift his spirits.
- Community Unity in Christ: Baptist volunteers served us Methodists and many others a hot dinner bringing together people of various ages, from multiple states, and differing denominations – including someone from a disaffiliated UMC that is working at our site. This display of unity amid American and denominational polarization was truly inspiring.
God’s love shines through in the community of faith here in Spruce Pine. I’ve already seen in just a few hours here a beautiful testament to human resilience and compassion that comes from hearts changed by Jesus Christ.
Please continue to pray for Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, North Carolina, and the surrounding communities.