Until the peak of hurricane season arrived, 2022 was a fairly calm year for responding to disaster events, for which we all can be thankful! A big focus for South Carolina Disaster Relief (SCDR) in the early months of the year was the arrival of new state Disaster Relief director Susan Peugh upon the retirement of Randy Creamer. Volunteers across the state enjoyed meeting and working with Susan at trainings, meetings, and deployments throughout the year.

Deployments

Tornadoes in Pickens, Allendale, Bamberg, & Dorchester Counties – these responses in late March/early April were handled by local units and those within commuting distance. 12 units completed 33 chainsaw and tarping jobs, making 47 ministry contacts.

Local storms – Six units in various places responded to meet local needs after isolated storms. They completed 19 jobs and made 23 ministry contacts.

Ukraine Refugee Crisis – SCDR sent a team to the Romanian border to minister to refugees fleeing Ukraine. The team was led by Wil Bradham of our State Leadership Team, formerly a missionary in Romania. They distributed supplies and Bibles, talking and praying with 1,000 contacts.

Childcare, Southeast Asia – two SCDR volunteers were part of a group that provided childcare for families attending a regional meeting held by the Company with whom we partner.

Kentucky Flood – we ran a command post for a mud- out response in McDowell, KY. The response lasted five weeks. Our teams completed 36 mud-out jobs, cooked 1800 meals, washed 200 laundry loads, made 550 ministry contacts and led 9 people to make salvation decisions.

Hurricane Ian – 22 SC units served during five weeks’ time at four locations. Our units completed 15 mud-out jobs, 76 chainsaw jobs, 48 roof tarping jobs, and prepared 6,249 meals. Our volunteers made 709 ministry contacts and led 3 people to salvation decisions.

Follow-Up in Kentucky

Several of our units returned to McDowell, KY to assist with Rebuild in homes where they had done mud-out. Additionally, a couple of different groups coordinated with missionary John Morris to collect and deliver supplies such as coats, blankets, and warm clothing for families in need as winter approached. Several churches in Aiken and Florence Associations collected $25 gift cards to be distributed by the ministry center in McDowell. Volunteers attending the North Augusta training were invited to contribute to the effort. Over $900 in gift cards were sent to KY. Praise the Lord for DR volunteers who not only go when the disaster occurs but follow up afterwards with continued ministry!

Training

Trainings included the spring and fall state-wide trainings, chaplain training, Unit Leader training, and two special-request local trainings.

• New volunteers trained: 198
• Returning volunteers trained: 373
• Churches represented: 162

Future Dates for Training

• April 1, 2023 at Northwood Baptist Church, NorthCharleston
• October 14, 2023 at Catawba Baptist Church, Rock Hill
• Chaplain Training – May 19-20, 2023 at SCBC Building,Columbia
• Unit Leaders – August 22, 2023, location TBD in Columbia

The DR Fleet of Units

New:

• Midlands Chainsaw Unit, based at Trinity Baptist Church, Cayce.

Decommissioned:

• Charleston/Ashley River Recovery unit
• Charleston/Ashley River Asset Protection unit
• Charleston/Riverbluff Recovery unit

Transferred:

• Moriah Assoc. Recovery unit (Chainsaw/Mud- Out) to Camp Creek Baptist Church, Lancaster.

Thank you to all who served the Lord through DR ministries in 2022!

Baptist Disaster Relief strives to bring help, hope, and healing after a crisis. With 12 different ways to serve, there’s a place for everyone and every church. To learn more, visit https://www.scbaptist.org/disasterrelief/.