Florida United Methodist Review Online

Disaster coordinators say Floyd’s near-hit was good dry run

wesleylg.jpg (99061 bytes)

Photo by Bill Rhan

The Wesley House on the Stetson University campus in DeLand felt the wrath of Hurricane Floyd. Tropical storm-force winds blew a tree onto its roof, causing significant damage.

Conference disaster response workers say preparations for the storm that didn’t come were worth the effort.

By Tita Parham

Many United Methodists quickly boarded up their homes, bought emergency supplies and evacuated their neighborhoods in preparation for Hurricane Floyd’s landfall in Florida.

They also made sure they were ready to help victims of the storm, a category four hurricane forecasters feared would be the worst to hit the United States mainland.

Although Floyd spared Florida the brunt of its strength, conference staff and disaster response coordinators say the preparations were well worth the trouble and will only make future response efforts more effective.

"I think we prepared for the worst, and, thank God, this is all it was," said Larry Rankin, director of the Conference Council on Ministries Missions ministry office, which is responsible for the conference’s disaster response efforts.

Rankin said executing plans in real conditions was beneficial. "It’s never a waste of time," he said. "We’re better prepared for it."

Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Bill Rhan said the system used this year has been the smoothest he has seen in the nearly three years he has been working on disaster response.

"It has already let us know that the system started from last year works very well," he said.

Rhan has been working for more than a year with district disaster response coordinators, district superintendents and churches to help them develop and perfect their disaster response plans. That includes producing a written plan and checklist churches can follow, offering training sessions and working one-on-one with districts.

"We’re going to do a critique on how everything went [Floyd] and…make it better," Rhan said.

How Florida United Methodists were affected

United Methodists, like the rest of the state, experienced very little damage.

After surveying the neighborhood around Mims United Methodist Church in the Melbourne District, the Rev. David Harris reported tree limbs and debris in the road, but little else.

"It is almost as if at the last minute, God pushed the hurricane away," Harris said. "...they were expecting a direct hit, and suddenly…it was headed north, and we were out of ‘harms way.’ "

The Wesley House at Stetson University in DeLand experienced the most significant damage, with tropical storm-force winds blowing a tree through its roof.

A tree was blown through the roof of the Edgewater United Methodist Church parsonage in the DeLand District.

Florida United Methodists respond

Sanlando United Methodist Church in the Orlando District and Orange City United Methodist Church in the DeLand District served as people and pet shelters. Nearly 70 people stayed at the Sanlando church; the Orange City church housed more than 100. The shelters offered a safe haven for a variety of pets, including rabbits, gerbils, hamsters and ferrets.

Azalea Park United Methodist Church housed 49 Alzheimer’s patients and nine employees from Palm Bay’s Bethesda Retirement Home.

Members of Miami District churches prepared meals for Miami’s Hurricane Center employees, assistance the center wants to continue during future storms.

Morrison, Hernando, Fort McCoy and Lake Panasoffkee United Methodist Churches in the Leesburg District opened as shelters.

Faith, University Carillon and Azalea Park United Methodist Churches in the Orlando District opened their parking lots to boat and camper owners who needed a place to park.

A disaster response truck from the Gainesville District delivered water to the Sebring area after the Highlands County water system broke down.

(Information concerning damage to United Methodist facilities and ways United Methodists responded was gathered as of Sept. 16 from reports given by district offices.)