By Rick Wolcott*

The rain began Easter weekend and continued for many days. As water fell from the sky, river levels rose until their banks could no longer hold them, causing flooding in the Village of Rayland and other areas of the South Forest District along the Ohio River.

“From the moment we started getting reports of the storm, Rev. Steve Court, EOC Disaster Response coordinator, tracked it and reached out to district superintendents and district Disaster Response coordinators and worked together to get resources to people in need,” said Rev. Ed Fashbaugh, executive director of Connectional Ministries.

“The first e-mail we sent out was to all of the pastors and the church leaders to see how they were doing and how their churches were doing and then immediately that following afternoon, after we received a lot of emails saying everyone was ok, we sent out a second e-mail asking how we as disciples of Jesus Christ can respond and be the hands of Jesus Christ to your communities,” said Rev. Laura White, superintendent of the South Forest District. “We had churches that put together flood buckets quickly and we were able to give out those buckets.”

The Ohio River crested late Thursday night and the flood waters receded – but the mess left behind will leave a lasting impact on homes, properties, and lives.

“The waters recede quickly, and it looks like everything’s fine, but we all know that that damage is still there, and we need to also still be there,” White said on Sunday, April 7 as she, Fashbaugh, Court, and fellow South Forest District Superintendent Rev. Kelly Brown delivered flood buckets and offered comfort to Rayland Mayor Tammy Morelli.

The mayor shared that the buckets will be taken to flooded homes in Rayland Township, just outside the Village limits.

“I appreciate the Church’s help and our families will, too,” Morelli said.

“Today we were a presence in a place that was affected by the flooding, and we began to share resources, not only the material resources we collect throughout the year for this reason, but also some of our spiritual grace resources that we offer to folks,” Brown shared.

The day before the team’s visit, South Forest District Disaster Response Coordinator Pastor Bob Carson, who serves Canal Lewisville and West Lafayette UMCs, visited seven different locations, and met with fire chiefs, and Mayor Morelli and other local mayors asking how they were doing in the aftermath of the rains and inquiring about who needed help.

“The response begins on sunny days when we do training to prepare people for how to respond, when we do Early Response training, when we create networks, and also when we collect buckets and other cleaning resources, and financial offerings,” Court said. “Our goal is to resource the local church to be the primary point of response so we’re there to back up the church rather than being the one who comes in immediately.”

On Tuesday, April 9 EOC Disaster Response Committee Chairperson Tom King picked up 40 flood buckets from the Mission Barn in New Castle, PA and delivered them to Rev. Andrew Thompson, pastor of Caldwell UMC, to help southeast Ohio flood victims.

“We have pastors and churches stepping up to help and be staging areas for these flood buckets to go out. We’re here for the long term as people discover what needs to be done,” White said. “I think it’s important for people to know that we in The United Methodist Church are followers of Jesus Christ and we are here because we care, and we will continue to be here because we love God, and we love God’s people.”

Learn How You Can Prepare to Respond When a Disaster Strikes

Court offers these suggestions for those wishing to respond when disasters strike: “Visit the Disaster Response page of the East Ohio Conference website which lists ways to help and review the Disaster Response plan that is linked on that page. There is a page in the plan for each level of the Church: the Conference, the districts, and the local church. People can put together buckets, they can sign-up for training classes, they can volunteer, and they can participate in Volunteers in Missions trips for long-term assistance. We are a year removed from the train derailment in East Palestine, but the Church is still involved there giving spiritual and emotional care. If you’re available and want to spend the best week of your life helping others, contact us and we’ll find a place to send you.”

Visit the Disaster Response page of the East Ohio Conference website.

*Rick Wolcott is executive director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.