I spent last evening with my brother Dave, hearing more about the February 2nd tornadoes that devastated the community. He gave me the highlights about the storm itself, as he remembered it. But then he went on to tell me about the amazing things that are happening since the storm.
First, the storm itself. Dave was awakened at around 3AM because the lightning was so frequent it lit his bedroom like it was daylight outside. He turned on the television and the local Doppler radar was tracking a massive system on a track that would bring it right through Deland. He made a few quick preparations and went out on the back porch to see what he could see. Just a bit of hail - and as quickly as it came up, it was gone. His phone rang a couple of hours later saying he should get out to one of the church family's home, as it had been heavily damaged.
What followed was confusion. When Dave arrived there was much misinformation given by rescue workers. There was confusion as to whether Dave would be allowed into the perimeter that emergency workers had set up. But in the next couple of hours they managed to get the answers, and the access that they had hoped for - but news they had hoped not to hear.
The aftermath, however, continues to be a marvelous story. The local churches in the community came together in a way never seen before. The churches found out where needs were in the community and mobilized together to meet them. They partnered with the Red Cross is being among the earliest and most committed responders. The community noticed.
Dave learned some valuable lessons. First, he became an unofficial information officer of sorts for many family members and friends. He hadn't anticipated this, but when he forwarded his church phone number to his cell, and was on the scene, he became the man with the most up-to-date information. He recalled having to tell many loved ones and friends that this family was gone. He learned that there are right and wrong moves in being among the first responders - things that you can do to help, or things that you can do that would hinder emergency officials. He learned that the Red Cross offers training for first responders that teaches all this important information. At present, a number of people in his congregation, and a number of people from other local church congregations are taking the course - so should there be a next time, the church will be even more ready to be on scene and making a difference.
There's nothing like the church bringing light to the community!
Technorati Tags: Florida Tornadoes, Mission
Labels: Ecclesiology, Mission, News, Partnering
