MidSouth Articles, Disaster Relief, MidSouth Conference
On the Ground: Flood Relief Efforts in the MidSouth
by Rev. Amy Carlson • Published Monday, February 24, 2025
There are several areas throughout the MidSouth Conference where extensive flooding has taken place. The MidSouth AC has proven to be a generous mission-based conference and the support for disaster relief has been overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, the need for help is throughout the conference once again. Local GMC churches are encouraged to help those in need. You can donate securely online with 100% of donations received to be used within the MidSouth for disaster relief. Please check out our fliers for the most recent flood relief needs, as well as our continued efforts following hurricane Helene, to learn of the ways you & your congregation may be of service to these communities.
Disaster Relief Coordinators: Rev. Todd Chancey, Conference Connectional Officer, at 423-290-3999 or tchancey@midsouthgmc.org and Rev. Suzanne Whittaker at 540-599-5301 or swhittaker@midsouthgmc.org
Stay up-to-date with all of our MidSouth disaster relief efforts at: https://linktr.ee/MidSouth_GMC
The following is an update from Rev. Suzanne Whittaker while traveling through the region as a Disaster Relief Coordinator for the MidSouth Annual Conference:
By the grace of God I did make it into West Virginia and was blessed to meet Rev. Gerald Roberts, his wife Juanita, and his laity member, Tim Wall, who has agreed to head up the relief efforts in West Virginia! They are a very motivated team and the church, Carr Memorial, is excited to be engaged in such a mission as this. They will do wonderful works for the glory of God during this time. Pastor Gerald is genuinely a light in this world!
We first stopped in to visit three families who had been identified through Carr Memorial via one of the members there. These three homes are part of a small neighborhood that was hit by the flooding. These families were already hard at work with clean up and removing the damaged dry wall, etc., which offered great encouragement for helping them knowing they will also help their neighbors once they are in better shape (they are already helping neighbors with other relief efforts). They embody what I love to see: folks seeing beyond their own need and looking after others because it is quite simply what we are called to do. We had a wonderful visit with Quincy (head of the one family and spokesperson for the three families) and his immediate family in their home (a much needed respite from the frigid temps as you might imagine!). We closed with a prayer and many long hugs. I have begun assisting them with the grant process. Their needs are not as extensive as the Helene victims nor those in McDowell County, WV. In the coming days, we will spend time in that area to assess the needs not already being addressed by other groups and how the MidSouth can either come alongside those groups or enter into the relief efforts in our own way (however God is calling us).
In Mataoke, WV we met with a group that was already deeply engaged in the community with addiction/recovery work, suicide prevention, unhoused, and other programs. Their building was washed out by the flooding though they were up and running with plastic on the walls and making do with what little they had for organization. We gave them a shop vac – you would have thought it was Christmas morning the way they reacted. Admittedly, I may have insisted on the shop vac as the floors were extremely slippery from the snow melting.
What have all these floods shown me? God is always, ALWAYS, in the story! And people really are amazing if you give them the opportunity to shine they will outshine the stars!
As for Virginia – Barbara Farmer has an incredible handle on things for Abingdon. She has secured a storage facility and has access to a larger one if needed. Estel and I are assessing our supplies and if the Kentucky site needs supplies. We do have teams from Helene work already in action in VA and that’s exciting because they will be a great blessing to the folks there. Let’s just keep praying the work crews are willing to come into all of these areas and help rebuild Southern Appalachia!
