Church Responds During Moment of Need!

From: WRAL News

{RALEIGH, N.C. — Highland Baptist Church in Raleigh is choosing to remember the deadly tornadoes that slammed the state one year ago by celebrating their disaster relief efforts.

"It's a celebration of how God used this church to respond immediately (to tornado victims)," said Lin Honeycutt, a member of the church and a volunteer with the North Carolina Baptist Men.

The Baptist Men are trained in disaster relief efforts and were one of the leading groups sending resources and volunteers into tornado-ravaged areas. Of the group's 13,000 volunteers statewide, 68 are members of Highland Baptist. }

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5 Killed in Storms: Tornados

From: ABC News

{Three children under the age of 10 are among the five found dead in an Oklahoma town after violent storms ripped through several states in the nation's mid-section.

Even as crews work to clean up the damage across the region today, residents braced for more violent weather that was in the forecast. Three new tornado warnings have been issued until 11 p.m. that include Minneapolis, Minn.; Little Rock, Ark.; and St. Louis, Mo.}

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How can your church reach out and help your local community?

Churches Become Centers for Aid

From: St. Louis Review

{HENRYVILLE, Ind. -- As one of the few buildings in town to come through intense storms March 2 nearly intact, St. Francis Xavier Church has become a natural staging area for relief efforts, community organizing and prayer.}

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Note: Is your church ready to assist in a disaster?

Tornados and Churches.... Beware!!

Warning: Tornado season starts early!

From: The News Tribune

{Abbott Loop Community Church leaders scrambled Saturday to cope with the dramatic auditorium roof collapse Friday night that one witness said looked like a tornado while it was happening.

The damage put the church's building at the corner of Abbott Road and Lake Otis Parkway out of commission for now, said Frank Curry, one of the pastors. The congregation will meet temporarily at Anchorage City Church, he said.}

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Glade Springs Site Visit

I had the opportunity to visit Glade Springs, VA last week and tour some of the disaster sites from the tornado that destroyed this town. As noted in my previous post, local churches were the ones that were looked to for help to provide disaster services to the community. Here are a few of the pictures that I took.

 This was a church in Glade Springs, VA that was leveled!

This was an apartment complex in Glade Springs, VA

This is in Abingdon, VA. Off in the distance you can see a barn that was leveled! You can also see how the trees are missing from the mountain side.

This is part of the historic Creeper Trail in Abingdon, VA. A F3 Tornado pick up this bridge and turned it into tooth picks. 

Local Churches Provide Disaster Assistance

The following story was written last week by the associated press. You will notice in the story that local churches were the ones that were looked to in order to provide support for those who were devastated by this tragedy. Think about your church and if you have a plan to react in the event of a disaster in your local community.

GLADE SPRING, Va. (AP) - "Two tornado-relief centers in Washington County are closing as the focus of recovery has shifted to rebuilding structures the storm destroyed.

Joy Baptist Church and Old Glade Presbyterian Church housed relief centers, where volunteers helped collect and distribute items to tornado victims. Organizers at the churches say the centers are closing this week.

Four people were killed in Washington County when the April 28 tornado swept through southwest Virginia, destroying numerous buildings and injuring 50 people.

Old Glade's relief center coordinator Elaine Smythe tells the Bristol Herald Courier that people can best help by donating money or buying specific construction supplies.

Glade Spring Baptist Church and Glade Spring Fire Department will keep their centers open for the next couple weeks."

Hat Tip: Mike Allen, Politico

Tornado

My wife's parents got hit pretty hard by this last set of tornado's. Here is a picture of a church from their local town. This is in Southwestern, VA near TN. 

Tornado Destroys Church in South Carolina

Tornado Warnings Sweep East Coast - Saturday

From: Fox News

BONNEAU, S.C. -- Fire officials say a tornado has collapsed a church with six people inside near the town of Bonneau. There was no immediate word on injuries.

Melinda Wadford with the St. Stephen Fire Department auxiliary said Saturday she did not know whether anyone inside the church was harmed when the building collapsed

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