(Swannanoa, North Carolina) Lindsey Barnett, Director of Relief and Recovery at Valley Hope Church says her church is "commonly referred to as 'ground zero' of Hurricane Helene."
Lindsey and her church community were not prepared for the devastation that was to come from Helene. The nearby Swannanoa River across the street from Valley Hope reached a record height of 26.1 feet (see below).
"It washed away semi trucks, entire storage containers, homes, trees, just everything in its path," Lindsey shares.
All of the devastation was overwhelming at first.
"Part of the fear was that we didn't have a cell signal. We couldn't tell anyone what was going on. The power was out, there was no water...it was very much a feeling of almost feeling alone in it all. But we were so grateful that within a few days churches from all over the country began to stream in and bring help, to know that we weren't alone."
Now Valley Hope Church is in a position to help provide tangible help to their community.
"It's incredible, even though there's so much loss and so much to grieve, there is such a rich joy in this place as we see the ways that people are giving so freely. The Lord has just provided so abundantly for every need.
So right off the bat, our church began offering hot meals. At first, it was just church members who pulled together all they had to cook for the surrounding neighborhood, and then little by little, other churches began to give out what they had," Lindsey shares.
"We have just an extremely vulnerable population all within about a mile radius of where we are. But the amazing thing was, that in this moment, we all were in need so it was this great equalizer where we all gathered around the table needing food, water and relying on the generosity of others."
Valley Hope Church has been able to provide hot meals, water, clean up, WiFi, small business support seminars in both English and Spanish, help with FEMA applications, essential needs, as well as mental health and spiritual support.
Lindsey reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus...
"You're not alone. The Lord is near the brokenhearted. He is doing beautiful things to meet our needs in ways that really go beyond what we could have asked or imagined."
