MDS responds to serious needs in wake of Hurricane Helene

Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) assessment teams and early response crews are on the ground in western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on Sept. 27.

Reporting from western North Carolina just outside of Asheville, MDS Executive Director Kevin King said that conditions of roads, destruction of homes, lack of ability to communicate, and the extent of damage are reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“Volunteers from Storm Aid are arriving today with skid steers and other equipment to begin moving debris, mud, and downed trees,” he said. Storm Aid is a pool of MDS volunteers from the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area.

“It looks like ultimately the response from MDS could be a very large one,” said King, who was able to access some of the affected areas on Sept. 30.

As early response crews begin to arrive, MDS is accepting monetary donations, and has opened a volunteer waitlist, planning to begin scheduling volunteers when the area is safe to access, accommodations are secured, funds are in place, and communities most in need have been identified. Volunteers are asked not to self-deploy.

As assessments from King and other regional MDS leaders roll in, MDS continues to emphasize that monetary donations are best, as material goods such as clothing further burden the disaster-affected areas.

One hundred percent of donations designated for Hurricane Helene will be used for the recovery effort.

Often the last to leave a disaster-affected community, MDS volunteers work to address unmet needs for the most vulnerable in the community.

Helene caused widespread damage across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. While our first efforts are taking place in North Carolina, MDS will be monitoring needs in other communities for ways volunteers can respond.

MDS crews on the ground in western North Carolina assess damage from Hurricane Helene.