Last January, the state of Kentucky braced for what was being labeled one of the worst winter storms in recorded history.
With damaging ice and snow blanketing the Midwest, residents of the Bluegrass State gathered supplies and tried to prepare, but there was no way to imagine the destruction the storm would cause. Ice up to four inches deep weighed down trees and power lines, trapping people in their homes without power and in desperate need of help.
South Carolina disaster relief volunteers gathered in Columbia recently for a leaders’ training event.That was when South Carolina disaster relief units were called into action. Over the course of seven weeks and at three different sites in the state, 181 volunteers from South Carolina headed to Kentucky armed with chainsaws and plenty of warm clothes.
Dutch Meyer, a member of Springvale Baptist Church in Lugoff, was part of chainsaw operations and spent time cutting and stacking fallen trees in what he described as “a war zone.” Despite everyone on his team coming down with the flu that week, Meyer said it was all worth it just to be able to help the Kentucky residents. “Most of the people we helped were more than 80 years old, with no one else to help them.”
According to Cliff Satterwhite, director of SCDR through the South Carolina Baptist Convention, disaster relief is a ministry of presence. “We are present to help change lives. We are regular people helping regular people in times of need.”
Recently, the state of Kentucky thanked and recognized those “regular people” with the highest honor bestowed from the governor’s office, the Order of Kentucky Colonels. Founded in 1932, the order is given to those who have made “contributions to the community, state or nation, and for special achievements of all kinds – and service and accomplishments on behalf of others.”
Representing Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear and the Kentucky Baptist Convention, KYDR caller Hayden Johnson presented the honors during the SCDR spring Blue Hat/Unit Leaders Convocation and training event held in Columbia.
“Disaster relief is an opportunity to show love for Christ and to serve those who are hurting and in need,” Johnson said. “South Carolina made me realize the importance of serving Christ through disaster relief, and I have rededicated my life to Christ after this experience.”
Satterwhite considers the Kentucky Colonel award as an honor representing all SCDR volunteers. “Volunteers are selfless. They give their time, pay their own way, and often sleep on the floor,” he said. “They minister through disaster relief with the talents they have.”
When a disaster occurs, the federal government works with the state government, which then works with agencies like disaster relief to coordinate assistance and distribution of materials during and after a disaster. SCDR is unique because it is the only state to offer training to volunteers, which it holds twice a year. Being organized and equipped pays off: Already in 2009, 79 SCDR units and more than 500 volunteers have responded to four major disasters, including the Myrtle Beach wildfires, flooding in West Virginia, and the ice storms in Kentucky.
For his part, Meyer is a disaster relief volunteer because of gratitude to God. “I don’t have a lot of money to give, but I have reasonable health, and this is what I can do for him. I enjoy giving back to God for what he has richly blessed me with.” – SCBC