Stories and photos by Duhane Lindo, American Red Cross
Category 4 Hurricane Ian left its mark on many of the coastal areas of Florida including Volusia County. Located in the east-central part of Florida, Volusia County stretches between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of residents experienced flooding that caused widespread devastation and well over $300 million in damage, according to county officials.
The American Red Cross is partnering with local entities like Master’s Domain Church of God in Christ, to bring assistance to those affected by the storm. Pastor Derrick Harris and his church have been serving in the Daytona Beach community since 1995. Together, they are working tirelessly to provide food, shelter and comfort for people facing the heartbreaking devastation caused by Hurricane Ian.
Many neighborhoods that were home to retirees on fixed incomes and residents of mobile home parks are now unrecognizable. “We have so many streets where all people’s household belongings are out on the curb,” says Pastor Harris. “The Masters Domain and the Red Cross have collaborated with other wonderful agencies to distribute many things these households need, such as tarps, cleaning supplies, food kits - so many of the necessary essentials."
“The Red Cross has really been on the front lines, along with our congregation, making sure that we meet the needs of these people. Our sign out front says, ‘A ministry that matters,’ and we enter to learn and we depart to serve, we do whatever it takes in order to be a blessing to the entire community.”
When asked about the devastation his own congregation has faced, Pastor Harris explains, “We’ve literally had members of our congregation having to sleep at our house. They have been totally devastated. They even had to escape from running water to upstairs units – we’ve had to have boat rescues and there were certain streets in Daytona Beach that literally look like a warzone. We were able to see it first-hand as we went with the Red Cross vehicles up and down the streets.”
Pastor Harris recounts the aid efforts and reactions of residents receiving aid. “There are so many cars that were underwater so they don’t have transportation to come to church, so we said, ‘Let’s go to them.’ We took the church van, took shovels and rakes and put them through the seats. I got my truck, put my trailer hitch on the back, packed tarps and different things. The people were so thankful for what we had to offer. I really thank God for the partnership that we’ve been able to form with the Red Cross because they provided us with the essential supplies and we were able to get some of the manpower and as far as knowing the different areas greatly affected.”
So where does everyone go from here after this catastrophe?
“Just like a homegoing or funeral service, everybody is around now because it’s still fresh, but the wounds stay longer so we have to make sure that we continue to see about these individuals that are going through it,” said Pastor Harris. “This is not going to be over in a month or, in some cases, even a year. We have to continually go out there and see what they need.”
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