‘This is Katrina 2.0’
Retired Army paratrooper Michael Summers has experienced the aftermath of a deadly hurricane before.
As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2005, Summers was deployed to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Nearly 20 years later, the 44-year-old preacher for the Biltmore Church of Christ in Asheville, N.C., is putting that experience to use.
Biltmore Church of Christ preacher Michael Summers speaks to ABC 13 News in Asheville.
His city of nearly 100,000 was devastated by Hurricane Helene — part of a trail of destruction the storm left through six states in the Southeast.
Helene made landfall Sept. 26 in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane, causing damage and death from storm surge, wind, landslides and flooding through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia.
At least 227 have died, with an unknown number still unaccounted for or missing, The Associated Press reported.
It’s the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina, which made multiple landfalls in Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 3 hurricane, killing 1,833, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is Katrina 2.0,” Summers told The Christian Chronicle. “It’s just as bad, if not worse — never, never, never thought something like this would hit Asheville up in the mountains.”
In Asheville, flooding from Helene debilitated the city’s water and power infrastructure, with officials estimating residents may be without water for weeks, AP reported.
“The damage in our area — the pictures do not do it justice, the stories do not do it justice. This is like, this is really, really, really bad. I mean, it’s as bad as it gets.”
“The damage in our area — the pictures do not do it justice, the stories do not do it justice,” Summers said. “This is like — this is really, really, really bad. I mean, it’s as bad as it gets.”
While power has been restored to much of the area in the two weeks since Helene — including to the Biltmore church building and more than half of the church’s members — the lack of water supply remains a major concern.
Summers said most church members suffered at least some damage to their homes, with a few suffering total losses.
The church still has groups of people out trying to clear some of the many fallen trees off of driveways, houses and vehicles.
Michele Woodhouse and other Biltmore church members organize supplies to distribute after Helene.
A “tremendous amount of support” has also been pouring in from churches and relief organizations across the nation, Summers said.
Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort has sent multiple semi-truck loads of supplies from its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. Groups from Texas, Michigan and Louisiana have also come to Asheville, clearing land, bringing supplies and cooking jambalaya for the community.
Biltmore members are helping to distribute those resources and taking some to smaller communities in the area that supply trucks can’t reach.
“It’s been a great, great outreach, but as quick as those supplies are coming in, we’re sending them right back out to the people who need them,” Summers said.
Church member Eddie Woodhouse told the Chronicle Summers’ past experience with disaster has been vital in coordinating relief efforts.
Biltmore church members load supplies from wheel barrows into residents’ vehicles.
“This is when Michael’s military knowledge has really kicked in well, because he has put us so far ahead of the curve and so far ahead of others in organization,” Woodhouse said.
“Almost like God was preparing him for this moment, this crisis,” Woodhouse later added.
But while aid is pouring into Asheville and other devastated communities right now, Summers worries that the flow of resources will dry up before the region has recovered.
“It’s amazing what everyone is doing right now,” he said. “The question is going to be in a month from now, when we still don’t have water, cold weather starts coming and those supplies stop rolling.
“You know, that’s my biggest fear, and that’s something I want people to be aware of. … It’s a big news cycle right now, and everybody wants to help, but we’re going to need help three months from now. … Rebuilding will not be quick.”
Still, Summers is thankful for all those who’ve shown their support — particularly on the ground.
Volunteers from the Biltmore Church of Christ pose for a group photo.
“The people who have showed up so far, we thank them immensely. It has been amazing because, like I said, it’s a really bad situation here — a lot of people hurting, a lot of people stuck — but their support has gone a long way.”
The preacher noted that it’s difficult for those who’ve never experienced a disaster to fully grasp the effects.
“You really can’t know what it’s like living in these conditions until you’re in these conditions, you know?” he said. “We’ve got people who are impoverished, and we’re taking it day by day of where do you get food, where do you get water? … How do you even wash your hands?”
Biltmore church members unload a carload of supplies to distribute.
For now, Summers and other Biltmore members are making the best of their situation.
“We’re just doing what we can do. The motto here at the church is, ‘trust God, share Christ, love others.’ … We’re just going to keep on doing that as long as we can.
The Biltmore church is accepting donations on its website for supplies and to help members who have suffered loss.
CALVIN COCKRELL is the media editor for The Christian Chronicle and serves as the young adults minister for the North Tuscaloosa Church of Christ in Alabama. Reach him at [email protected].
The post ‘This is Katrina 2.0’ appeared first on The Christian Chronicle.
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