PPM Disaster Response: Hurricane Florence Relief

Today we are heading to Wilmington to meet with partners and explore the possibility of sending teams. Pray for us that our conversations are fruitful and that we can share hope with all we meet. 

Hurricane Florence is still making its mark with a band of storms and tornadoes that ripped through our area in Richmond, Virginia last night. There was at least one death from a tornado that touched down in Chesterfield County and several neighborhoods that were destroyed. The students in our area were not able to come home until around 7:30 pm last night due to the intense severity of the storms. We are not used to many tornadoes touching down in our area, so it was pretty scary situation for many. This was the first deadly tornado we have seen in about 20 years. Please pray for the families that were affected! We are expected to experience more storms later this afternoon. 

Photo Cred: Richmond Times Dispatch

Those in Durham (me, Leah) woke up to what sounded like a train outside our doors. Wind and Rain were pounding our area in the early morning hours. As much of the ground was already saturated with water, the water rose quickly. Roads are being flooded and the water is everywhere. We have a small creek behind our house and it turned into a full blown river. We also experienced several sirens warning of tornadoes. For now the rain has stopped but it is supposed to pick up later today. Please pray for those in the area that our houses stay dry and that the water has time to evacuate before more rains down. 

While the coast has definitely seen the worst of Florence, the damage is not isolated to the coast. Unfortunately much of North Carolina is experiencing flooding. The NC department of transportation has urged out of state driver to detour AROUND NC due to road closures on three of the states major interstates.  

Continue praying for for the Carolinas as the rain continues through the next couple of days. 

Here in Durham the storm has calmed for the most part however we have seen rain and wind non stop for several days. Although we have no immediate threat of flooding (Praise God!) this could change rapidly as the rain will not stop for at least 2 more days. Continued prayers for safety are still needed. 

As the rain moves away from the Carolina Coast, assessment of all the damage is beginning to take place.though, many roads and highways are still closed and people are still warned not to come back just yet. 

We will be meeting with our partners this week as they begin to go back to their homes and churches and assess the damages. Continue to hold those affected by the storm in your prayers. A 

North Carolina has seen its record rainfall from a tropical system after dropping 30.58 inches already. I can’t stress this enough: it is still raining. It is forecasted to continue to rain for the next two to three days in North Carolina due to the extremely slow crawl that Florence is doing. 

Photo Credit: the weather channel

Florence has now claimed the lives of 10 people and even though it is no longer a hurricane, feet of rain are still expected to fall on much of North Carolina into South Carolina over the next few days. Many roads in North Carolina are closed and out of state travelers are urged not to travel through North Carolina. 

As the storm travels west, mudslides in the mountains become a huge threat. 

Continue to pray for the Carolinas, they are my home and it hurts tremendously to see so much devastation. 

Photo cred: the weather channel 

Hurricane Florence continues to cause damage in North and South Carolina. It has been downgraded to a tropical storm . However, the flood waters are continuing to rise and trees are coming down.  It has become very dangerous in multiple areas across North and South Carolina. People have lost their homes and a few lives have been lost. Power outages have topped 890,000 and are rising as this storm is still not over. Please continue to pray for the people in The Carolinas! 

Photo Credit: New York TImes

So far Florence has taken the lives of five people along the North Carolina coast, including a mom and baby who died when a tree fell on their home. My heart hurts. 

Now a tropical storm, Florence is still considered a dangerous system. A lot of people focus on the category of the storm but Florence is proving to us that it doesn’t mean everything. The speed of the storm has slowed to 3-5 mph and is still dumping torrential rains on much of the Carolinas including the central and western Carolinas as it moves inland tonight and into tomorrow. 

We will keep you posted, but for us in Virginia we’ve seen about an inch or so of rain and mild winds but that has been about it. Thank you for your continued prayers! 

Florence has been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane! It has been truly amazing to see God lessen the intensity of the storm. We praise God for that while still asking for prayers since this storm is still very dangerous. The flooding and storm surges are the main concerns still- as well as the isolated tornadoes. North Carolina has already seen a handful of warnings and will continue to see them over the next couple of days. 

One thing we have to remember is that this is a very slow moving storm and we are JUST getting into it. We have a lot more to experience over the next few days. 

Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach areas are seeing some widespread damage already with doors and windows being blown in, trees down, and storm surge coming in. New Bern NC has seen heavy rains and surge and had over 100 water rescues already. Lastly, Oak Island's pier has collapsed as the waves of Florence beat down on it. 

Tornado warnings and watches continue as Florence approaches land. Though she is still 85 Miles off the coast, the storm surge is already approaching 6 feet in some areas and expected to almost double by the time the eye hits. Please continue to pray for North and South Carolina and Virginia as the rain begins. 

Florence has started her trek inland and rains and winds have begun all long the North Carolina coast as well as Southern Virginia. Please be praying for safety of those along the coast as the storm surge begins rushing in and for no lives to be lost. 

Please also be praying for those preparing, that resources would remain available.