As many of you have heard by now, fires are ravaging parts of East TN. Especially hard hit areas are Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg was evacuated and parts have burned.
Kaye Thomas, one our Disaster Relief leaders, contacted the mayor of Sevierville and he requested that we start feeding this morning. They worked through the night with the help and support of the folks at First Baptist Church, Sevierville to be up and feeding 1,500 this morning. They are preparing the food at the church and Red Cross is delivering it to the shelters. We have some initial people going over this morning to see other ways we might help. Kaye is working with FBC Sevierville to set up their laundry unit there at the church.
What can folks do now? First thing is – Pray that God will send good steady rains. Too much water and you will have mud slides and flooding to complicate the situation. 2. Second is to prepare to serve if called upon. As the fires are brought under control, I can see the need for ashout, chainsaw, laundry units, shower units (possible) and lots of chaplains. Knox County Association is trying to set up an Ashout training later this week for those interested in helping in this way. More will be sent out about this as it develops. 3. Financial Donations through TBMB are always a huge help in supporting our efforts. Churches or individuals can send it to TBC directly and designate it to Disaster Relief. You can also donate online at https://tndisasterrelief.org/contributions At this point they are not looking for physical donations. I will let everyone know if that changes. Fire recovery is not like mudout in that you cannot clean it up with “Shockwave”. Gift cards to places like Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart are good. If you send them to us, we would distribute them to those in need.
Serving Together In Christ,
Wes