Arizona Disaster Relief: Four callouts in October

Arizona Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has had an active month with four callouts, including helping two churches, during October.

The month began with volunteers serving in Globe and Miami following flooding there in late September. Twenty-six Disaster Relief volunteers served Sept. 30-Oct. 9 as assessors, on feeding and recovery teams, as chaplains and in incident command, said Don Vickers, Arizona Disaster Relief director.

They completed work on 19 homes that had been flooded, removing mud, water-damaged flooring and cabinets, sheetrock and possessions for homeowners and then sanitizing the homes to prevent growth of mold and mildew.

Trinity Baptist Church and Central Heights Baptist Church in Globe provided housing at the churches for the volunteers.

An Arizona Disaster Relief volunteer works on a wheelbarrow used to remove flood-damaged building materials from First Southern Baptist Church in Miami.

The workers wrapped up their time in Globe and Miami as weather forecasters were watching the approach of the remnants of Hurricane Patricia and predicting the potential for more flooding.
As part of that weather system, a microburst from a thunderstorm caused significant damage in Tempe Oct. 13.

Arizona Disaster Relief was activated to serve with the Red Cross in feeding residents unable to return to their severely damaged apartments.

Ten Arizona Disaster Relief volunteers served Oct. 20-24, providing 150 lunches and 300 dinners each day. After lunch the first day, all of the meals Disaster Relief prepared were hot meals, said Patty Kirchner, Arizona Disaster Relief feeding unit manager. In all, the team prepared 2,150 meals.

The Red Cross in Arizona praised the work of Arizona Disaster Relief on Facebook.

Arizona Disaster Relief volunteers load cambros filled with hot food into a Red Cross van for delivery to residents of damaged apartments in Tempe.

“A huge thank you to our incredible partners at Arizona SBC Disaster Relief for preparing and donating the delicious meals the Red Cross served for lunch and dinner to those affected by the recent microburst in Tempe,” they wrote. “Everyone loved the food, and the cheerful, kind volunteers who prepared it helped lift spirits across the community. Your generosity and partnership make a true difference in helping neighbors recover.”

Arizona Disaster Relief used their mobile kitchen and worked out of Corona Baptist Church in Chandler as they served the Tempe residents.

“Corona was gracious to let us use their facilities,” Kirchner said, noting the church is still unable to use one of its buildings after the roof collapsed in the sanctuary two years ago.

The microburst in Tempe also caused damage at Church on Mill.

Arizona Disaster Relief volunteers removed damaged sheetrock from a room at Church on Mill in Tempe after roof damage from a microburst caused a leak.

On Oct. 17, five Disaster Relief volunteers placed tarps on three roofs that had shingles blown off and worked in a room that had water damage because of the loss of shingles, said Mark Skelton, a member of the Arizona Disaster Relief Task Force. Team members removed the sheetrock, insulation and carpet and worked on the ceiling where the water came in.

The following day, two Disaster Relief volunteers used chainsaws to deal with damaged trees on the church grounds.

Church on Mill wasn’t the only Arizona Southern Baptist church to receive help from Disaster Relief.

Thirteen Arizona Disaster Relief volunteers worked at First Southern Baptist Church in Miami on Oct. 28. They removed carpet and damaged sheetrock so the church, which had experienced flooding, can begin the process of rebuilding, Vickers said.

“I think it is great for us to be able to support churches in our network,” he said. “We are able to care for those who also support us through prayer, giving and providing volunteers.”