As Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, made landfall just after 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9, near Siesta Key, Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were setting up a command center at Sarasota’s Colonial Oaks Baptist Church, which is serving as headquarters for disaster relief leaders to assess damage and prioritize crisis response, including mass feeding, clean-up and recovery, and spiritual care and witness.
Milton is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year. Category 1 Hurricane Debby struck Florida’s Big Bend region on Aug. 5, and Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in the same region on Sept. 26. Hurricane Helene, in particular, left behind immense devastation, with many Baptists churches not being spared Helene’s fury.
Hurricane Helene caused extensive devastation in Cedar Key after landfall Sept. 26. Florida Baptist Disaster Relief will continue to serve Hurricane Helene survivors in Florida’s Big Bend, while launching relief work following Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Siesta Key Oct. 9.
Hurricane Milton spawned multiple tornadoes over a wide swath of Florida, resulting in significant destruction and accounting for several fatalities. During and after landfall, Milton created intense damaging winds of up to 120 mph, devastating storm surge and torrential downpours of rain. An estimated 3 million Floridians were left without power.
First simultaneous relief for hurricanes in 20 years
As disaster relief volunteers are making their way to areas hit hard by Hurricane Milton, many other DR volunteers are continuing to respond actively to immense needs that Hurricane Helene left in its wake.
David Coggins, FBDR director, said that this is the first time in 20 years for disaster relief leaders and volunteers to manage simultaneous hurricane response for back-to-back hurricanes striking the Sunshine State. In 2004, Florida was battered by four hurricanes — Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne — in six weeks, with billions of dollars in damage and lives lost.
In this simultaneous response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, disaster relief leaders at the Colonial Oaks Baptist Church command center are providing administrative support in coordinating relief efforts for both storms. Such simultaneous response “is a stretch,” said Coggins. “It is challenging us.”
Disaster relief is, and always has been, a team effort, Coggins believes. He expressed thankfulness and appreciation for disaster relief volunteers who are “resilient,” as they “respond and continue to respond.” New volunteers also have “stepped up,” have passed background checks and are joining relief efforts, “grateful to have the opportunity to serve,” he said.
Southern Baptists’ Send Relief deployed a tractor-trailer with more than 20,000 meals, bottled water, rolled roofing, water and generators to the Florida region battered by Hurricane Milton. Disaster relief teams from other state conventions are joining the relief efforts.
— Margaret Colson is a writer for the Florida Baptist Convention.