Hurricane Helene

One year after Hurricane Helene flooded their church and destroyed everything inside, members of Blue Creek Baptist Church in Keaton Beach are now holding services beneath a pole barn on their new property, attracting visitors almost every week and looking ahead to the future and the construction of a new building.

The sobering sights of a fridge being flipped over, baby dolls floating by, and scattered Legos across the lawn greeted Ronnie Rentz, who planted Covenant Hope Church in St. Petersburg in 2022, when he returned home following Hurricane Helene’s landfall in late September.

Amid widespread devastation throughout the Sunshine State in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have demonstrated and shared God’s love over and over and over again.

Like many congregations in Florida, First Baptist Church of Hudson is no stranger to the aftermath of natural disasters.

It was day two of hurricane cleanup at Keaton Beach’s Blue Creek Baptist Church for Pastor Justin Goins and fellow church members when God sent in a cavalry of college men to help them win the battle against the mud, sludge and debris left by Hurricane Helene inside their church.

As Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers continue to come alongside community residents impacted by Category 4 Hurricane Helene–and with Hurricane Milton now setting its sights on Florida’s west coast–all Florida Baptists are being encouraged to join relief efforts by giving, going and praying.

Although Lake City, located about 60 miles west of Jacksonville, may have been spared the brunt of Hurricane Helene’s record-setting storm surge and fierce winds, the storm still forced many in the community to search for basic needs.

Known for its laid-back, friendly fishing village vibe, the quaint community of Horseshoe Beach found itself directly in the recent path of Hurricane Helene’s 140 mph winds and 20-foot storm surge. Today, the community is in pieces–once again.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the Madison community in north Florida has found itself in yet another season of recovery.

Category 4 Hurricane Helene lashed out with high winds and storm surge in Otter Creek, a small community located about 20 miles east of Cedar Key, leaving widespread damage and power outages in its wake.