Hurricane Helene Response & Recovery

Cindy White looks over the devastation inside her home in North Carolina caused by Hurricane Helene. Only a tiny number of households in North Carolina have flood insurance. | Kathy Kmonicek/AP

In the late evening of September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm. In her wake, over 500 miles of destruction and devastation across five states continue to unfold as flood waters recede and as mud and storm debris are being cleared. 

As someone personally touched by a catastrophic disaster myself, my skin and my ears prick up whenever I see comparisons between Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Helene. At least 215 people have lost their lives to Helene, now the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. There are still dozens or possibly hundreds of people still unaccounted for. What anyone who has survived a disaster knows well is that there really is no comparison. Each loss, each heart ache, is more than anyone should ever have to endure or bear alone. 

The Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery (SPDR) holds in our prayers our colleagues across the Synod of South Atlantic, the Synod of Mid-Atlantic, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, who are tirelessly coordinating response efforts, checking in on presbyterians and impacted communities, and providing steady support during such an unsettling time in our collective lives. 

One of the Covenant Partners of SPDR is PDA, who has already approved six initial assistance grants to six Presbyteries to support unmet immediate needs in impacted areas, as well as two church damage grants to impacted congregations. They anticipate additional grant requests to come in the weeks and months ahead. Know that your support of PDA is addressing immediate needs and will provide the necessary resources to support the long-term recovery from this storm, which will undoubtedly take many years. 

Helene did significant damage at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina. Montreat and Black Mountain Presbyterian Church are serving as distribution sites for supplies and meals where thousands of residents remain without water and power. (Photo courtesy of Montreat Conference Center)

How to Help: Give. Act. Pray. 

Give.

Donate online to PDA at https://pma.pcusa.org/donate/make-a-gift/gift-info/DR000169/ OR text HELENE24 to 41444. Gifts will be transformed into immediate supplies and long term recovery support through Presbyteries and congregations serving their impacted communities. 

Donate to Ferncliff’s Disaster Assistance Center, currently distributing requests for cleanup buckets and hygiene kits across the impacted region. Donations can be designed for kit supplies through Ferncliff’s Giving Page: https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/ferncliff-camp/donate

Members of the Presbyterian Church of Muskogee assembled disaster cleanup buckets for Ferncliff’s Disaster Assistance Center. Ferncliff reported over 3,000 buckets have already been shipped in response to Hurricane Helene, and more buckets are needed. Photo by: Kathy Lee-Cornell.

Act. 

Listen to reports from presbytery and synod leadership through recorded conversations with PDA and discern how you are called to respond: https://pda.pcusa.org/situation/hurricane-helene/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFtIkNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHb4pEXCp4Ewld6zC0_18bF6OyK1b4qYrHA9DEXlH_8ncq2tPNoQnuUiakw_aem_Qd8sg4iqHjb68OIhM75skA 

Pray. 

God of grace and compassion, In these overwhelming moments of loss and devastation, we come to you with weary hearts that are both heavy and hopeful. We hold in our prayers and hearts all those impacted by the hurricanes, conflicts, and other disasters, and we implore for your mercy, peace, and healing to embrace our siblings all over the world. By your grace, bring comfort to those who are grieving, give strength to the exhausted, and provide shelter for those who have lost everything.May your Spirit move in this, your creation, bringing peace amid the turmoil, and breathing hope into the places that feel broken. May your Spirit continue to be the quiet but constant reassurance that you are with your children and creation, even in the darkest moments, guiding us toward healing and restoration.As we continue to see the news, we lift up the brave souls who are working tirelessly to rescue and assist. Give strength and wisdom for the tasks ahead. And stir our hearts, dear God, to step in with compassion, helping our neighbors, near and far, with kindness, love, and compassion.In all of these disasters, we place our trust in your everlasting promises of your presence and care. Restore what has been shattered and lead us toward a path of renovation, peace, healing, and the renewing power of your always present Spirit.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

-Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, PDA Director