news article
Answering the call: Serving during Hurricane Helene and beyond
January 9, 2025 / By Jan Rothfuss, Aldersgate United Methodist Church / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
It was a Friday in September 2024, and I was visiting my son and his family, who live near Raleigh, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene was heading through our area, and schools were closed. We found safe places for the three grandchildren, my son went to work, and I stayed at the house, watching the weather reports. Luckily, we had three inches of rain with high winds but no property damage or power outage. As reports came in, I learned that a tornado had been spotted east of us, and areas to the west (especially near Asheville) were severely impacted.
Flashback about five years: I had completed the Disaster Response Team training here in Upper New York but had not been able to volunteer within our Conference. While in North Carolina, I stopped by the North Carolina Conference Center as they were responding to recent hurricanes. I was introduced to the Disaster Response Team and worked in their call center. Over the next few years, I took calls and recorded site reports, entered reports into the computer system, and assisted with the follow-up activities needed to complete the processing of new Disaster Response training class recruits.
This year allowed me to continue serving within the UM connection. Responding to the impact of Helene gave me an opportunity to apply my training while supporting the efforts of the North Carolina Conference and UMCOR. Ann Huffman is the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator in the NCC. As I traveled home in early October, I got a text and picture from my son, showing how he and my grandson were packing up relief boxes. I guess the call to serve runs in the family, and I am very proud of them.