LCC DISASTER RESPONSE EFFORT ENTERS THIRD WEEK IN NORTH CAROLINA AREAS HIT BY HELENE

Lutheran Church Charities LERT volunteers are on the ground in Asheville, N.C., and Hendersonville, N.C., for the third week of a deployment that began October 19, assessing more than 100 sites and completing work at more than 50 of them.

Most have been multi-day jobs of cutting damaged trees, clearing debris, and removing safety hazards, all of which are a result of the destruction left by Hurricane Helene and subsequent flooding a month ago.

LCC LERT teams, which have come and gone during the multi-week deployment, are led by Deaconess Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, and Jamie Miller, LCC Disaster Response Equipment Manager, and have been working from a home base at Mt. Pisgah Lutheran in Hendersonville, under the leadership of Pastor Jonathan Christensen.

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Last week, the crew was able to bless the community in additional ways. On October 31, volunteers joined the Mt. Pisgah congregation at Halloween Street Treats events in downtown Hendersonville, handing out candy and much-needed personal items, such as children’s backpacks, socks, hygiene kits, hats, mittens, and flashlights.

More than 1,000 people attended this event, seeking to bring some normalcy to children who had endured a chaotic month since the hurricane. “Parents were so grateful and expressed thanks for all the items and how supportive the church was,” O’Day said. “Seeing the appreciation on their faces helps us believe that we are making a difference in these families’ lives by showing the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ.”

The LCC Disaster Response team received a visit from Southeastern District President Rev. Bill Harmon, Assistant to the President Martin Schultheis, and District Disaster Response Coordinator Sally Hiller. The Southeastern District officials watched the LCC LERT team work and thanked them for their service.

Amid the cutting, hauling, and clearing, the LCC LERT team has used Spiritual First Aid™ to encourage residents who have been struggling emotionally in the weeks since the storm.

Some stories and highlights:

The entire LCC LERT team went to a 40-acre goat farm owned and operated by a single woman named Ms. B. The property had several large oak and pine trees that were down, some on her outbuildings, barns, pastures, fallow field, pens, and paddocks.

“She was overwhelmed when she called Mt. Pisgah for assistance,” O’Day said. “She couldn’t believe we would prioritize her request and come so quickly to her aid with all our equipment and volunteers to get her farm back to operational status.”

Southeastern District officials Harmon, Schultheis, and Hiller visited and prayed with Ms. B, who gave everyone hugs and expressed her thanks at the end of the day as the volunteers left. “It was a very blessed day!” O’Day said.

A few days later, the LCC LERT team and two members from the Mt. Pisgah team worked at two sites all day. The homeowners had many large oak trees down on their properties. One of them, a Ms. S, had a long and steep driveway that was blocked by eight very large trees. The crew cut and moved the wood to open up access to the driveway and home.

“She shared how emotionally traumatized she had been by this catastrophic storm, as well as losing one parent the day after Helene struck and her other parent three months prior,” O’Day said.

Several team members spent time listening to her story, talking with her, offering support, and leading a prayer of hope. Both homeowners expressed appreciation for all the work done and the care shown to them.

“It is a blessing to serve,” O’Day said.

LCC LERT volunteers worked at a site in Asheville with a steep-sloped yard that couldn’t accommodate machinery and heavy equipment. “Everything needed to be cut and hand-carried, or left in place,” O’Day said. “The homeowner sent an email later that said, ‘You all are amazing! Our life had been turned upside down, but you have helped by doing what you do. Thank you so much. God bless all of you!”

A second site in Asheville had 15 leaning tees that had to be felled, as well as one tree that had been broken in half. This week, some new LCC LERT volunteers were on the job and they had a climber that was able to remove the tree safely. “The homeowner was extremely grateful to have these dangerous trees gone and her property safe for her family,” O’Day said. “ All the volunteers worked hard and shared the love of Christ with those they served.”

READ MORE stories of homeowners who have been helped by LCC LERT teams on the LCC HURRICANE RESPONSE page.

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