Disaster Relief

Pastor Matt Swain has taken mission trips to the Grand Bahamas for years, but his journeys found new meaning after the island suffered devastating damages from Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

A spiritual care hotline offering prayer and comfort to New York City area residents living in the epicenter of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic went online Saturday, April 4, 2020.

Two months after Hurricane Dorian, devastation is still a present-day reality in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. The carnage is no longer front-page news, even though it may take the island years to fully recover. Florida Baptists will be there for them, though, every step of the way.

Riding out Hurricane Michael’s 161 mph winds at their Mexico Beach home, Barbara and Bubba Harmon watched as the Category 5 storm’s nine-foot tidal wave rushed toward them, carrying pieces of broken lives, debris and garbage in its wake.

PANAMA CITY–Joshua Fidler walked across a field that had been covered for almost ten months by massive debris—“a void that used to be our sanctuary” when he saw a page that had been ripped from a Bible in the cleanup following the fury of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 10, 2018.

In the three weeks since Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, Iglesia Real in Hollywood has sent 44 plane loads of much needed supplies to help people on the islands recover and rebuild.

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief has stepped back into alert status as Hurricane Dorian moves away from Florida and north through the Atlantic.

As Hurricane Dorian hovers along the east coast of Florida, battering the region with tropical storm-force winds and dangerous storm surges, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief and Recovery (FBDR) stands ready with a multifaceted arsenal to respond in its immediate aftermath.

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief is currently monitoring tropical storm Dorian as it becomes a growing hurricane threat to the Sunshine state. “Florida Baptist Disaster Relief continues to monitor Hurricane Dorian and its impact on U.S. Virgin Islands and pending impact on the mainland,” said Delton Beall, Disaster Relief state director.

Six months have passed since Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Gulf Coast leaving in its path destruction and despair, especially for the Panhandle communities. Much rebuilding and recovery work remains to be done but churches and pastors are still gearing up for Easter celebrations.