By William Perkins
Editor
Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief (MBDR) volunteers are among 18 Baptist state convention disaster units in eastern Kentucky facing a Hurricane Katrina-like area of almost complete devastation after deadly, record-setting floods in late July and early August.
That’s the assessment offered by Hubert Yates, Mississippi Baptist’s disaster relief director, after a visit to the area last week. “Where our floods are slow to rise, stay around for a while, and then slow to fall, these mountain floods all depend on where the rain falls and how fast.
“In the case of the 12 affected counties, 10½ inches of rain fell in the mountain highlands in approximately three to four hours. This caused rapidly rising waters, often 15-20 feet deep and moving [downhill] at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.”
Mud and sludge cover many areas to a depth of three to four inches, Yates said, and local water systems are out of operation. In an August 11 Twitter post, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear put the death toll at 39 with additional people still missing.
A total of 15 MBDR volunteers are based at Big Creek Church in Hazard, the seat of Perry County, and currently consist of personnel trained for incident management, feeding, damage assessment, and post-disaster chaplaincy.
Yates said an additional MBDR assessor/chaplain team will be deployed this week, along with three more volunteers to support shower/laundry operations and another five- to seven-member cleanup team. Post disaster response and relief operations are expected to continue through the end of September, he said.
Statistics provided by Yates for the Southern Baptist response indicate that through August 11:
— Volunteer days – 3,539.
— Meals prepared – 17,320.
— Showers provided – 1,908.
— Laundry loads – 1,800.
— Recovery jobs completed – 138.
— Bibles distributed – 462.
— Gospel presentations – 256.
— Professions of Faith – 39.
Placements and assignments of state convention disaster response teams and units are being coordinated by Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief; SEND Relief, the Southern Baptist compassion ministry jointly administered by the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board (https://www.sendrelief.org/ ); and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief office.
Credentialed MBDR volunteers should contact the MBDR office for scheduling and service opportunities. Mississippi Baptist Convention-affiliated churches and associations that are interested in providing cleanup teams/volunteers are encouraged to reach out to the MBDR office at (601) 292-3335, or dvail@mbcb.org, for training and scheduling opportunities.
“Please remember to pray for these teams as they serve those in need in eastern Kentucky,” Yates said. “If you desire to financially support the efforts to minister to those in need in eastern Kentucky with a designated offering, individuals may give online at www.mbcb.org/giving, or by mail at MBCB, P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530.
“Please designate your check or online offering to ‘MS Baptist Disaster Relief.’ Miss. Baptist Convention-affiliated churches may give utilizing the Offering Designation Form (Pink Sheet) indicating the same designation,” Yates said.
Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief is supported by gifts to the Mississippi Cooperative Program, Margaret Lackey Offering for State Missions, and designated donations.
