LOS ANGELES, Calif. (MODR) – Following any disaster, it’s only natural that the survivors want to recover anything that hasn’t been destroyed. It doesn’t matter whether they’ve experienced a flood, tornado or hurricane. The natural response is to locate any belongings that may have survived. Unfortunately, the situation is usually much worse following a widespread fire like those that occurred in Hawaii in August 2023 and more recently in southern California. When the entire house burns to … [Read more...]
Continued Hurricane Helene response requires flexibility
BURNSVILLE, N.C. – A common motto among Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR) volunteers is to always “Be Flexible”. That has certainly been the case with response to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida over four months ago. MODR volunteers initially responded by providing chainsaw teams, mass feeding teams and shower and laundry units to Augusta, Ga., in a matter of days. To that end, MODR volunteers completed 52 days of service, helped complete 477 chainsaw jobs, helped … [Read more...]
Missouri DR’s Ann Stevenson receives national award
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Anyone who knows Ann Stevenson is used to seeing her with a chaplain’s shirt and badge—accompanied by her trauma-trained dog, Steele—as she visits with victims of disaster. Or maybe they’ve seen her provide key leadership in MODR childcare. However, Stevenson recently took versatility to another level when she coordinated two disaster relief responses in Pulaski County, where she lives, within seven months of each other. That’s just one of the reasons she was … [Read more...]
Southern Baptist DR exemplifies national cooperation
JEFFERSON CITY – The Apostle Paul explains in 1 Cor 12:12, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” He goes on to say in verse 27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” So it is with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Some volunteers are chaplains, some maintain the shower and laundry units, and some prepare meals. In the meantime, others provide flood recovery or operate a chainsaw. In … [Read more...]
Missouri DR volunteers help IMB missionary after tree falls on stateside home in Georgia
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Hurricane Helene was described by one official as a 400-mile-wide tornado, … which isn’t too far from reality. So, even though Asheville, N.C., has gotten much of the media’s attention, there’s been no less damage in neighboring states. That’s certainly the case in Augusta, Georgia — just 180 miles from Asheville — where volunteers with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR) have been working since Sept. 26. “I would describe it as one big debris field,” said Toby Tucker, … [Read more...]
Missouri DR teams respond to Hurricane Francine
BATON ROUGE, La. (MODR) – Even though Hurricane Francine quickly subsided to a tropical storm after it made landfall in Louisiana, that doesn’t mean it didn’t have a devastating impact on hundreds of southern Louisiana residents. Having come onshore as a Category II hurricane on Sept. 11, it still left hundreds of people without power or with damage to homes and property. In response, Missouri Disaster Relief (MODR) teams arrived in Louisiana within 24 hours of landfall with two of the … [Read more...]
Missouri Disaster Relief’s ADA shower trailer proves it’s value following Iowa floods
SPENCER, Iowa (MODR) – Anyone who has ever used a Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief shower trailer knows the routine is to leave your shoes on the steps so that everyone knows that shower is in use. Being based in a trailer, though, the key word is “steps” … and not everyone can climb steps. That’s why Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief invested in an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant shower trailer this past year, which offers both shower access and laundry facilities to those … [Read more...]
Missouri Disaster Relief responds to recent flooding in Iowa
SPENCER, Iowa (MODR) – It’s a sad case of irony that following a disastrous flood, there’s still a need for more water. That was certainly the case in Spencer, Iowa, after the area received nearly 16 inches of rain over three days in late June, flooding nearly 500 homes, or roughly 40 percent of the town. Granted, there was plenty of bottled water available after most utilities in the city were cut off. The needs that involved water that weren’t readily available, though, were showers and … [Read more...]
MODR Collegiate interns hit the ground running
JEFFERSON CITY (MODR) – There’s an old saying that “many hands make light work.” The idea is that a large task is generally made easier by many hands shouldering the same burden. Consequently, the 12 extra set of hands provided by the 2024 Missouri Baptist Collegiate Disaster Relief team have been invaluable this year, even if the load hasn’t always been light. “We started right after Memorial Day with 13 students,” said Aaron Werner, leader of the collegiate team and Missouri Baptist … [Read more...]
MODR quick response unit proves invaluable in Iowa, Southeast Missouri
MINDEN, Iowa – Over the years, the Mass Feeding Unit, which has been frequently deployed by Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief, has provided literally thousands of hot meals to disaster victims throughout the country. In fact, it’s been used to feed as many as 10,000 people per day following some of America’s worst hurricanes. Unfortunately, it also has its limitations when it comes to agility and response time. Because it’s housed in a semi-trailer, it requires a large area for setup, as … [Read more...]
Storms keep Missouri Disaster Relief active
JOPLIN – The sound of storm warning sirens is surely frightening for anyone who lived in the Joplin area in 2011, when an EF5 tornado destroyed more than a fourth of the city and killed 185 people. Fortunately, the tornado that hit the area on May 6 wasn’t nearly as bad as the 2011 EF5. Not only were there no deaths or injuries, but no houses were destroyed. Still, the storms left hundreds of downed trees in their path as they moved across parts of Joplin and neighboring Carthage. … [Read more...]
MODR Hay Shipments to Texas Help Both Animals and Fire Victims
TEXAS PANHANDLE – Disasters come in all forms and sizes; and, on occasion, affect more than the humans who have been impacted. That was certainly the case earlier this year in the Texas Panhandle, where range fires burned an estimated 850,000 acres in two days and impacted nearly 65,000 head of cattle. As Scottie Stice, State Director for Southern Baptist Texas Convention's Disaster Relief Ministry, explained, nearly 7,000 head of cattle were killed in the fires. And while some farmers … [Read more...]