MIDDLETOWN , N.J. – It’s been a full month since Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast, but the clean-up job in New Jersey – where Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Disaster Relief (DR) units have been focusing – is almost complete
Three crews from Mineral Area Baptist Association, and churches in Macon and Perryville were working in the second wave of Missouri’s DR response; two doing mud-out and one clearing debris with chainsaws. The exceptionally strong storm claimed at least 88 lives in the United States, caused upwards of $55 billion in property damage and initially left millions without power across 15 states.
Dwain Carter, MBC director of DR, said tremendous progress has been made.
“We’re probably looking at one more week here,” he said. “Then we’ll switch focus to Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn.”
Carter said he still hopes to see a large contingent of Missouri college students who can do mud-out work over Christmas break in Long Island.
Carter also said he continues to be encouraged by the response of those Southern Baptists from Missouri and other states that are helping.
“The people are amazing,” he said. “Middletown actually gave Oklahoma Baptists DR workers the key to the city.”
Carter and the Missouri workers are staying at New Monmouth Baptist Church, a very-large-by-New-England standards independent Baptist congregation, considering affiliating with the Southern Baptist Convention because of the testimonies and love shown by DR volunteers.
Students and trained DR volunteers can contact the MBC DR office at 573-636-0400.