Eight SCBaptist Disaster Relief (SCBDR) chainsaw units served in Summerville and Ladson, SC the week of June 10.

The supercell thunderstorm on that Monday evening brought winds up to 85 mph, the strength of a Category 1 hurricane. Trees were uprooted or broken, with some damaging houses.

Working with Journey Church of Ladson and the Summerville Baptist Church to identify areas and people in need of help, SCBDR set up a command center and brought in DR management volunteers to coordinate the efforts of the chainsaw units. As they put homeowners on the list to receive help, they received many thanks and saw looks of relief on the residents’ faces.

Caring for Neighbors

As one DR team entered a cul-de-sac that had trees down in every yard, they found a woman in a wheelchair out with a rake, trying to clean up some of the mess. She is a caregiver for her father with Parkinson’s disease, and the team quickly realized that she watches out for and helps her neighbors as well. The DR volunteers got to work to help this precious lady, the rest of the cul-de-sac, and people in other neighborhoods across the area.

Members of DR chainsaw units removed trees from roofs, cut trees in yards, hauled trunks and branches to the curb, raked up debris, and had spiritual conversations with the homeowners. “Most expressed a strong relationship with the Lord,” said Incident Commander Rick Burkey of Wagener, “but our teams had opportunities to reinforce and renew that and encouraged several to get involved with their churches.”