PPM Disaster Response: Flooding in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia

Many of our partners and their communities in Appalachia still have a long way to go in their recovery efforts.  Unfortunately, the local stores have run out of some of the basic equipment that makes cleanup more expedient.  PPM is actively working with our local partners to coordinate donation deliveries.  Items that our partners are in need of include, shopvacs, dehumidifiers, powerwashers, mops/mopheads, towels, and gift cards to places like Walmart or Amazon so people can begin to purchase the household items they lost.  If your church would like to put together a donation drop-off/fundraiser please reach out to Dillon Crum at [email protected].

If you are someone with a heart to serve, but not sure about helping with mucking and gutting there are plenty of other ways your time would be a blessing to the Appalachian community.  Our teams in the area are actively involved with supply distribution and many of our partners are in need of help sorting and packing all the donations so they can go to the community members most in need.  If you feel called, please reach out and let us know what area you feel best suited to serve and we can get your trip planned!

As the water has receded it has left debris that volunteers are now in the process of cleaning up.  Even in the midst of tragedy God is good and many donations of clothes, food and water have been given to the area.  Currently, the biggest need is helping hands to assist our partners in their recovery from this unprecedented disaster.  If you feel called to serve in this response please contact the Praying Pelican office and we will connect you with local coordinators who can start planning your trip today.

The death count continues to rise and still hundreds are unaccounted for. The devastation has increased sharply as new bouts of rain come through the area since the original posting.

Many communities have been cut off from help as the infrastructure has been wiped out. Residents are in need of medications like insulin as well as food and water. 

BBC video of residents being lifted out by a Blackhawk Helicopter: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-62391314

These communities are going to need a lot of help digging out their homes as well as the love and encouragement of our teams in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of wymt.com.

Parts of Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia were hit with more devastating rain during the night and early this morning. Water reached the roofs of most one-story homes and the flooding has already resulted in one loss of life. One of our partners (pictured below) had recently finished rebuilding their school and now will be in desperate need of help to restore their building. Please pray for all the families impacted and for God's protection as they move themselves and their loved ones to safety. We are actively seeking volunteers to assist with cleanup. Please fill out the Request Info form to the right if you're interested in helping in this way.

PPM Staff and Partners are working hard to assess the damage and plan for volunteers who are able to contribute both through their donations and their time.