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Volunteers Needed for Disaster Relief in Paducah
05/24/2011
PADUCAH –As Southern Baptist Disaster Relief assesses how best to help the people of tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief is still seeking volunteers to help Western Kentucky residents recover from recent flooding.
“We have many requests from people in the region who need help cleaning out their homes,” said Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the Kentucky Baptist Convention.
“Even if volunteers can only serve a day or two, that would be a tremendous help,” he added.
“Mud-out” crews are needed to remove mud and debris and then pressure wash and disinfect houses.
Webb said volunteers who have completed training in Southern Baptist Disaster Relief are preferred, but anyone willing to help is encouraged to contact Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief by e-mail at dr@kybaptist.org or by phone at (502) 489-3404 or (866) 489-3404 (toll-free in Kentucky).
It has been a busy spring for Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief. In March teams responded to flooding in Ohio. In April, volunteers served in West Point, a community in Hardin County located on Ohio River, which also was affected by foods.
Following deadly tornadoes in Alabama, 110 Kentucky Baptists served in Henagar and Higdon, Ala., removing debris and providing hot showers, laundry facilities and chaplaincy services.
Even as volunteers and Alabamans were digging out, more rain was falling in Kentucky. The Ohio River crested at Paducah on May 5. Last week, with waters finally receding, disaster relief leaders were able to assess damage. Requests for assistance soon began flowing in.
With so many needs, and a forecast that includes more severe weather, the disaster relief ministry hopes to hear from volunteers who perhaps have not been able to serve yet this year, Webb said.
“This spring seems to be a marathon and not a sprint as far as the demand for workers goes,” he said. “Those affected by these disasters will need us for weeks, maybe months. We pray that people will step up to help in whatever way they can.”
For up-to-date information on Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief deployments, training opportunities and other news, visit www.kybaptist.org/dr or follow “Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief” or the “Kentucky Baptist Convention” on Facebook.
Contributions to the disaster relief ministry should be sent to the Kentucky Baptist Convention with “disaster relief” in the memo line of the check. The address is Kentucky Baptist Convention, PO Box 43433, Louisville, KY 40223-4160.
Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers that comprise the third largest relief organization in the United States.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
by Dannah Prather, KBC Communications
