Updated at 1 p.m. September 28 | Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) feeding and shower/laundry volunteers have been activated to serve in Augusta, Ga., in partnership with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MBDR) in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A feeding team left from Illinois on Friday (Sept. 27) morning to meet up and pre-stage with MBDR volunteers at First Baptist Church of Charleston in southeast Missouri. They departed for Augusta on Saturday morning and, working with the Red Cross, will begin preparing meals upon arrival.
Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday evening on Florida’s gulf coast as Category 4 storm. The storm’s destructive winds and heavy rains caused extreme damage and power outages across much of the southeast. At least 52 were reported dead in five states – Florida, Georgia, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, and Virginia – as of Saturday afternoon.
Additional IBDR feeding team volunteers along with shower/laundry volunteers are scheduled to depart for Augusta on Oct. 3 and will begin ministry work the following day. They are expected to serve from 5-7 days. Trained volunteers can contact IBDR State Coordinator Arnold Ramage with their intent to serve.
All other IBDR teams are currently on standby for possible deployment once assessments can be made. Much damage has been reported in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and in Tennessee with a large response expected. Prayer is requested for the victims and the volunteers serving them.
IBDR has almost 500 trained volunteers who serve on chainsaw and flood recovery teams, with shower, laundry, and food service, and at every callout, as chaplains. IBDR is a partner with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, part of the SBC’s Send Relief compassion ministry. It is the third largest disaster relief organization, after the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
To donate to help Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief assist survivors of Hurricane Helene, visit IBSA.org/about/donate. Checks may be made payable to Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief and sent to IBSA, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, IL 62703.
For more information about Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief, visit IBSA.org/dr.
IBDR is a volunteer organization ministering with the Illinois Baptist State Association.