Answering the Call 

Thank you for answering the call. Those of you who stepped up and donated time, money and resources for the victims of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton have made all the difference in helping the storm ravaged areas begin the long road to recovery.

In my Oct. 7 column, I asked for your help in “Turning Hurricane Helene’s Hell Into Hope.”  The outpouring of support and volunteerism has been very encouraging! While incredibly grateful, I need to remind you that they’re not out of the woods just yet. In fact, this relief effort is going to take months, perhaps longer for many.

My friend Weston Lyon said that his family just started getting water again to their home in Asheville after 19 days. He’s grateful that he and his family can shower and do laundry, but added that they are still under a “boil water advisory” for cooking and washing dishes.

While my wife and I have made financial contributions to a number of relief organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, The Red Truck Men and Lowcountry Community Church Relief Fund, I haven’t been “Upstate” in person just yet but am looking forward to going there soon to volunteer on site.

While driving to Myrtle Beach for the ISSA US Open National Senior Softball Tournament Oct. 17-20, we saw an awesome sight. We spotted truck convoys of power line workers from at least 10 states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia. Driving north on I-95 the armada of trucks and vans with all kinds of equipment, presumably returning from helping Milton victims in Florida, was awe-inspiring. The drivers looked exhausted, but they smiled when we gave them a thumbs up as we drove by them. It strengthened my resolve to get to the impacted areas soon.

According to POWER Magazine:

“The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a trade group representing investor-owned utilities … said an ‘army of 50,000 workers from at least 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada had flooded into the region to step up the response effort.’ That represents ’one of the largest mutual assistance mobilizations ever,’ it underscored.”

Two of my Fellowship of Christian Athletes colleagues, Cloe Marchant and Zach Waters, are actually in Asheville with others from Bluffton-area churches, including my Lowcountry Community Church’s response team.

Cloe texted our FCA staff this morning, “At The Cove in Asheville with Samaritan’s Purse and a team from LCC. Eating breakfast now and then heading out soon to our work site for the day.”

Zach, who was in Asheville as part of The Red Truck Men’s response team, added, “Up here too Cloe! Some of the devastation is unbelievable. The camaraderie and love are also moving! Please do continue pray!”

The stories of generosity and teamwork have been incredibly uplifting. 

However, like many crises, it’s easy to get people’s attention early on, but also easy to forget how devastating the damage was and how many people were affected once the media moves on. There are still so many people displaced and struggling to get answers to “what do I do now?”

Don’t forget about them. Pray for them, reach out to them, and please continue to support them. Perhaps my own schedule is working out best to help once more of the roads have been cleared and after the initial wave of assistance has passed.

I have a suggestion. Instead of buying a relatively meaningless gift for someone for an upcoming birthday or the holidays, perhaps consider a donation to the relief effort in the Helene-impacted areas in that person’s name. 

There was a glimmer of hope that progress is being made, which is hard to believe if you look at the highwater mark at the entrance to the Biltmore Estate from just a few weeks ago. A social media post on the North Carolina News Facebook Page carried this very important positive message for the local Asheville economy: 

Biltmore to Reopen November 2

“For more than 125 years Biltmore has been a witness to the resilience of this community. The compassion and resolve of our region have been rising every day from beneath the weight of the storm. Thanks to the incredible work of so many generous people, recovery is happening all around us.,” estate officials wrote on social media.  “We are pleased to share the Biltmore plans to reopen and celebrate the joy of the holiday season together during #ChristmasatBiltmore, beginning November 2 welcoming guest back to the estate provides critical support to our community and we hope to welcome you very soon.”

Learn more at https://www.biltmore.com/helene-response/?   #WNC strong.

The Red Truck Men organization posted on their Facebook Page:

“Our RTM commissary and kitchen continues to serve the needs of the Black Mountain Community & Beyond (Off I-40) providing thousands of hot meals and groceries each day.”

Answering the call has many meanings and is different for all of us. For some it’s volunteering to help in a crisis, no matter how big or small, no matter if it’s in the Western Carolinas, the coast of Florida, war-ravaged Ukraine or right around the corner in your own town. For some, it’s doing your duty. Like getting out to vote on Nov. 5. It’s also accepting the outcome and respecting the winner regardless of whether they were your candidate or not. It’s remembering to register for selective service when you turn 18 or joining the Reserves. 

Another way to answer the call is by donating blood, not just in times of crisis or shortages, but as a way of helping others. The life you save could be a young child, a veteran or a friend or family member, perhaps even your own. It also means you might have to practice delayed gratification and sacrifice some personal want in the present to be able to provide an immediate need for others.

Answering the call sometimes means being inconvenienced. I literally failed to take a call from a former colleague late on a Friday afternoon. I determined that I would just call him back on my time on the next business day. The problem was, he wasn’t calling about business. He was actually calling to say goodbye as he was in the final stages of battling a terminal illness. He passed away over the weekend. I never got to say goodbye. That one stung, deeply. 

We are all given the opportunity to serve others. For some it’s a simple phone call, an in-person visit, or a handwritten note to a loved one or a good friend just when they need encouragement the most. Or just because it’s the right thing to do at that moment. 

I want to thank all of you who are willing to sacrifice a little, or a lot, to help those in need. A special thanks to those who answered the call to assist the victims of Hurricane Helene. When that next opportunity presents itself for you to answer the call, I hope you will do so with a gracious heart.