Praying, Giving, Serving: Responding to Tornado, Severe Storms in West Georgia
3/29/2023
Dr. Stephen Redmond of the NGUMC Disaster Response Warehouse delivers UMCOR Relief Kits to West Point. Photo: Rev. Erik Mays
Updated 3/30/2023
Our prayers are with the people of West Point, Troup County, Baldwin County, Milledgeville and across the southeast, who experienced a tornado and severe storms over the weekend. There is significant damage in West Point in particular, and United Methodists are already at work in the community.
Local EMA, Red Cross, and other partners are at work to verify the scope of impact in the area.
Rev. Erik Mays and members of West Point First UMC spent a majority of the day Tuesday with Aileen Cairns Burnett of Newnan First UMC, representing our North Georgia Conference ERT (Emergency Response Team) doing property assessments for incoming teams from Northside UMC and the South Georgia Conference.
On Wednesday, the Conference Disaster Response Warehouse delivered needed UMCOR Relief Kits to West Point.
Thursday, trained ERT are at work from Northside UMC, Hillside UMC, Due West UMC, & Peachtree City UMC. They are joined by ERT from the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.
"The mind cannot comprehend the devastation, but the soul sees the pain in the eyes of our neighbors," said Rev. Erik Mays. "I'm grateful to see the ways in which so many are choosing to be the presence of Christ in moments of crisis."
Our best response continues to be to pray, give, and prepare.
- Pray for communities in the path of these storms
- Pray for local officials & first responders
- Give to UMCOR (U.S. Disaster Response #901670) or North Georgia Conference Disaster Response (#3740) through any United Methodist Church in our Conference
- ERT should contact Rev. Scott Parrish with their availability and equipment so that we can best deploy teams as they're requested