Driving through winding mountain roads in Johnson County Tennessee, you’ll notice that there are creeks everywhere. Often, the roads themselves follow the creeks as they made natural paths through the mountains. As I drive between work sites while serving with Operation Recovery, I look up into the mountains, then down into the water and realize how the flooding had been so devastating back in September – there is water everywhere and no where else for it to go.
The Disaster
Hurricane Helene devastated several states as it tore through the south. The communities in the mountains had never experienced a storm like this, a storm so large it spins off tornadoes, raises water completely over houses, and demolishes infrastructure. One local homeowner shared that his home of 29 years was submerged under 18 feet of water.
“We ran up the side of the mountain and stayed until the water went down,” continued homeowner Mike Davis. “There was no power. We couldn’t get out. They tried to get a helicopter, it couldn’t get to us. They tried a boat and it couldn’t get to us. The next day there were so many trees down in the road it took us three hours to go an eighth of a mile.” Thankfully the Davis family all made it to safety, but they lost everything.
The Church
In the initial response neighbors helped neighbors, and the local church stepped up to provide immediate care. Mike continued, “We lost everything, didn’t even have a bar of soap. These churches around here came and helped us – without them I don’t know what we would have done.”
One of those churches is First Christian Church of Mountain City. Pastor Dwayne Dickson has coordinated hundreds of volunteers to help rebuild in Johnson County. “The people here have been very, very thankful for everything being done. And they know we’ve got a long way to go, so they are being very supportive of the work that First Christian and CrossRoads and other organizations are doing in Johnson County.”
Read more about our partnership with FCC Mountain City…
The Volunteers
Pastor Dwayne and Operation Recovery’s Project Manager Curtis Porch both explained that the local community doesn’t have enough contractors or money to rebuild themselves. Pastor Dwayne stated, “without the volunteers we couldn’t afford to get the work done. The people we are helping do not have the money to do the work themselves.”
Curtis continued, “We are really making a difference in some lives here. We are doing so many things that a lot of people are not able to do themselves. You will see changes in people’s demeanor as we go along. We always try to talk to them while we are there. It’s not all about the work, it’s about helping people. Helping them to get through this whole trauma.” Pastor Dwayne agreed, “We are trying to give them back a little bit of control of their lives.”
This is evident to the volunteers as well. “You are going to be in a world that is different from the norm, because you are dealing with people who are going through tremendous duress and stress in their lives,” explained long-time recovery volunteer Don with Impact Christian Church. “God looks on the heart. If you put yourself in a situation to say ‘God use me and help me when I go to help others, to look on the heart.’ You are going to make a world of difference. It’s going to be beautiful.”
The Impact
Operation Recovery does rebuild homes, but that is not the only reason this field was started. We rebuild homes as a way to “get our foot in the door” and be present for tough conversations. We rebuild homes to amplify the voice of the local church, saying “we are here for you, we still care.” People need homes, but they also need a listening ear and a hand to hold.
Back at the worksite, Mike is slowly opening up. Projects are paused as he shares about his life, shows us pictures of the aftermath of the flood. He shared with me his unique perspective on the disaster, “A guy asked me was I mad at God. No, I’m not. He had nothing to do with this, this is just weather. I’m thankful to God that I’m alive, that my family is alive.”
The volunteer groups have made an impact on the Davis family, “It’s everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I’m all old and broke up, can’t do much of anything. Without the help I don’t know which way I would’ve went. There are a lot of people that still need help here. A lot of people. A lot of single elderly people that need help even more than we did. A lot of people haven’t gotten an opportunity yet. When you’ve lost everything like this, every little bit helps.”
The Call
Pastor Dwayne explains that in Johnson County there were 78 homes destroyed, and another 150 damaged. So far they have worked on about 40. “We are just getting started. My goal is to have complete recovery in about 2 years. That is a pretty big goal, but if the volunteers keep coming in, we can achieve that goal.”
Will you be part of the recovery in Johnson County, TN?
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