“I keep saying I want a different bingo card for 2025, because another flood is not on the bingo card I would have chosen,” shared CJ Noe, Field Coordinator for CrossRoads Missions Appalachia. Over the past few years, there has not only been flooding in Eastern Kentucky, but historic, off-season, devastating flooding.
CrossRoads is no stranger to disasters. Our New Orleans field was established because of disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Operation Recovery was established to assist churches in spearheading recovery efforts after record-breaking tornadoes in Western Kentucky. However, we don’t view ourselves as a disaster relief organization. We are about relationships. It just so happens that disasters are sometimes what opens the door for those conversations to start.
Where it began…
The Appalachia field was started to build relationships, but floods have continued to hit the communities we love. CJ recalls, “My first flood that I worked in Maytown was mother’s day weekend in 2009. We had only been in Maytown for four years at that point, and I remember feeling hopeless thinking ‘how are we going to get groups to show up now?’ If we didn’t show up now to share the love of Jesus on a mucky day, what right did we have to show up on a sunny day?”
2009 was a large learning curve for CJ and the summer staff. Some supplies were coming in and a few helping hands, but it was very difficult to communicate the need at that time. Over the next several years the team continued to work in the community, and thankfully the water didn’t rise to dangerous or destructive levels. Until the floods of 2021.
Waters Continue to Rise
The 2021 flood was different for a few reasons. “For locals it was different because the water was moving in ways and places that it hadn’t before. But also social media was now popular and we were learning how to use it more effectively. Churches, supporters, groups had all be around and involved for long enough to understand the needs of the community and want to step in.”
In both the 2021 and 2022 floods our team was able to step in and provided needed assistance to those who were not usually impacted by the floods. Both years saw a change in the geography of where the impact was greatest. The challenges in 2022 were also greater due to the water rising well out of the normal season, meaning homeowners were not prepared to the level they usually would be.
This was also the year that the media started showing up. “We had the world’s attention in that flood, where before if you didn’t have a personal connection you would never know it was flooded. That made it easier to tell the story and get the word out. People responded not only with finances but by coming to volunteer. People found connection and wanted to do something.”
“2025 the water came deeper than it had ever come before. It went into homes it had never touched before. Sometimes we think that this only happens to lower income areas, but there are no boundaries to the water,” continued CJ. “And this time the government didn’t show up, so the church got to.”
Coming Together
This opportunity wasn’t just about cleaning up or making repairs, it was about explaining how the church can take action. “We got to tell people ‘This is taken care of for you because you are loved by God and there are people who want you to know you are loved by Jesus.’ When the world let them down Jesus got to step in as some flooring or a refrigerator, and meet a tangible need.”
Looking back at the many years of flood relief, CJ can’t explain exactly why the response has changed so much over the years, “I don’t know if it was awareness or social media that made a difference in how the church responded, but it was so much more impactful in 2025 than 2009 because we were able to step in on a dark day and say ‘You are not forgotten.’”
Here are a few ways you can make in impact in Appalachia
–DONATE to fund our construction projects and kids programs
–SHARE your impact story with us directly, or on social media
–VOLUNTEER your time through a mission trip
–INTERN with CrossRoads to make a bigger impact on the field, and on your own life
-ASK our staff if there are any special needs or prayer requests
–LEARN about our programs and upcoming opportunities
