Sharing God's Love in Word and Deed
Hurricane Helene destroyed thousands of homes and damaged tens of thousands more in western North Carolina, where many families remain displaced.
A year later, volunteers with N.C. Baptists on Mission are doing what they do best — helping restore hope after the storm by rebuilding homes in the region. To assist in those efforts, Baptists on Mission has established five rebuild centers across western North Carolina that can serve as bases of operations for volunteers to serve.
Located in Black Mountain, Boone, Burnsville, East Flat Rock, and Spruce Pine, each facility can house and feed up to 100 volunteers as they work on projects throughout surrounding counties.
With grants from the state of North Carolina and donations from corporations and individuals covering the cost of materials, volunteers are quickly making a difference throughout communities devastated by the flood waters.
While the degree of damage varies, many homes were literally filled with water, requiring everything inside to be gutted — sheetrock, insulation, wiring, plumbing, flooring, cabinets, appliances, and more.
Although the type of damage that Helene brought to western North Carolina is unprecedented, rebuild coordinator Richard Weeks knows the kind of destruction and devastation hurricanes can bring. As a native of eastern North Carolina, he’s experienced firsthand storms like Floyd, Matthew, and Florence, and the work involved with putting the pieces back together.
During those storms, Weeks saw many volunteers from western North Carolina work tirelessly to rebuild homes in eastern North Carolina. Now Weeks says it’s time to “come and give back to them the way they gave to us.”
“We know we’re never going to give them back everything they lost during the storm, but hopefully we can give them back a place they can call home,” Weeks said. “If you’re from eastern North Carolina, I want to challenge you to come out and be a part of what’s going on here in western North Carolina as we help these brothers and sisters put back their lives.”
How It Started
In 2006, the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, gave Baptists on Mission an abandoned armory to house volunteers responding to Hurricane Katrina. Over the next few years, thousands of volunteers helped rebuild 751 homes there. That model has since been replicated across North Carolina as we respond to the needs in our own state.
Why Go
You have the opportunity to not only help rebuild a home, but also transform a family’s life in Jesus’ name. Teams that return on a regular basis build relationships with homeowners they are helping, as well as people in the community. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person.”
What To Expect
Each facility is outfitted with bunk beds and an industrial kitchen providing hot breakfasts and suppers. Bag lunches are taken out to the job sites and projects will already be lined up.
What to Bring
If you have your own tools, by all means bring them. However, each rebuild center is equipped with all the tools needed for construction projects.
What You’ll Do
A variety of construction projects. If your team has specific skills, let us know when you sign up.
How Long Will We Be Here
Due to the extent of devastation, Baptists on Mission will be there as long as needed with an estimate of at least five years.
Want to Help?
If you’d like to contribute to the ongoing rebuild efforts or sign up to work at one of our centers, visit https://helenerebuild.org