Hurricane Milton Update

On October 9, hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast less than two weeks after the region was devastated by hurricane Helene. As of Thursday, October 10th, over 3.3 million customers are without power, and several communities have been devastated by tornadoes and flooding.  Due to limited communications ability in the impacted areas, the Global HOPE team is still learning about the impacts of this devastating storm across the Florida Conference through conversations with conference staff and local churches. 

Hurricane Helene Update

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida late on Thursday, September 26, as a category four storm empowered by high water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing a devastating 20-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. After landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, the storm proceeded northeast into Georgia, western South Carolina, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee as a category 1 storm. As of this appeal, 100 people have been confirmed dead, with this number expected to rise as flood waters recede. 

As of Monday, September 30, over 2 million customers are in the storm’s impact area without power. Accuweather estimates that Helene has caused between $145 and $160 billion in damage, which is also likely to rise. The magnitude of damage combined with the geography of the impacted area further exacerbates and complicates what is certain to be an extended recovery process. 

Due to power outages, disabled roadways, and remaining flood waters, the full extent of the damage is still being realized. Two United Church of Christ church buildings on Florida’s Gulf Coast suffered significant flood damage because of the catastrophic storm surge, and a third experienced damage due to high winds and heavy rain. 

We continue to communicate with conference staff in the Southern, Southeast, and Florida Conferences as they work to contact local congregations and become aware of their needs. As we continue to pray for and support those who have experienced unimaginable loss this past week, we invite you to support the UCC’s recovery efforts in the following ways: 

• Hurricane Helene Recovery Appeal: The National Ministries of the United Church of Christ has a long history of supporting communities as they recover from disaster and their plight fades from the headlines. Your support of this appeal will ensure that communities are supported and accompanied for years as they rebuild. Click here to contribute to Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief.
• Crisis Cleanup phone banking: One of the greatest needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster is situational awareness and information gathering. Crisis Cleanup is looking for volunteers to help input cases into their dashboard. This dashboard is used by response organizations to efficiently coordinate and deploy immediate resources. If you are interested in this remote volunteer opportunity, please sign up here.
• Hygiene and Cleanup Bucket assembly: One of the biggest requests is the need for cleanup buckets. UCC congregations interested in assembling cleanup buckets are eligible for a matching grant through the Global HOPE office.

Read more here.

Thank you for your assistance in helping families and communities who are in great need in the aftermath of Helene. Your heartfelt support will make a difference.

Prayer in the aftermath

O God of infinite grace and generous love, our hearts tremble to see the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene. We lift our prayers to you.

Hold close all those whose homes and communities, businesses and places of worship have been overcome by water and wind, who awakened to upended lives and tossed landscapes.

Grant your blessing to all those who will rush to help and heal in the immediate aftermath, to all those who will follow over time to recover and repair what has been lost.

Stir resilience among all those who will walk the long road to full recovery. Receive their tears. Absorb their shock. Console their grieving hearts.

Resurrect what’s been broken and destroyed. Illuminate paths to the future when exhaustion and desolation overwhelm.

Move all of us to respond with hearts of compassion, acts of service, and generous giving.

O God, hear our petitions. And let our prayers endure and our response be sustained until fresh hope arises from the ruins. Amen.

(Photo: NOAA satellite image, September 26, 2024)