2024 Hurricanes Special Appeal

On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in what is known as the Big Bend Region of Florida as a category-four storm. This storm brought a devastating 20-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. As the storm continued to move north through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virgina it brought heavy rain that caused devastating flooding. Hurricane Helene was one of the deadliest hurricanes in recorded history with an estimated death toll of at least 230 people. Hurricane Helene is also estimated to be one of the most expensive storms in history with estimates of infrastructure damage as high as $200 billion.

On October 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast as the eye of the storm passed over Siesta Key, Florida – impacting many of the same communities impacted by hurricane Helene two weeks prior. In addition to the heavy winds and rain, Hurricane Milton brought with it 46 confirmed tornadoes across Florida and claimed an additional 32 lives.

Hurricane Helene substantially impacted UCC communities across the impacted area. Churches and camps hit particularly hard include:

• Pass-A-Grille Beach Community Church in St. Pete Beach, FL – sustained substantial flooding
• Church of the Isles in Indian Rocks Beach, FL – sustained substantial flooding
• John’s River Valley Camp in Collettsville, NC sustained substantial tree and wind damage, as well as catastrophic flooding that destroyed the camp’s only access bridge.

Hurricane Milton also significantly impacted UCC communities within the storm’s path. Churches hit particularly hard include:

• Pass-A-Grille Beach Church in St. Pete Beach, FL – sustained additional flooding and wind damage
• Church of the Isles in Indian Rocks Beach, FL – sustained additional flooding and wind damage
• Saint Andrew United Church of Christ in Sarasota, FL- sustained wind damage
• First United Church of Tampa, UCC in Tampa, FL – sustained substantial tree damage to their property blocking road access for their neighbors

The United Church of Christ has 214 churches, and two camps located in the impacted areas across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. Although the majority of the UCC’s churches in the impacted area sustained minimal damage, many of the wider communities in which these churches are located were less fortunate. Many of the residents of these communities lost their homes as a result of catastrophic winds and flooding and face a long road to recovery.

Much of the media attention on the storm’s devastation focused on the greater Asheville and greater Tampa areas – both regions certainly did suffer catastrophic damage. We are also aware of a large swath of communities stretching between these two areas who have been significantly affected and are likely under resourced.

The National Ministries of the United Church of Christ (NMUCC) is committed to accompanying communities that have been impacted by climate-caused disasters throughout the entire long-term recovery process. We recognize that this process often takes many years after the disasters have faded from daily news cycles. Beginning in the hours after a storm’s impact, our goal is to ensure that communities have access to the resources that they need. We do this by connecting with local clergy, associations and conference staff, ecumenical partners and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs). As communities begin to move into longer-term recovery, we continue to collaborate with other ecumenical and community partners to ensure that communities are well supported throughout the recovery process.

In the early days after the storms’ impact the NMUCC’s Disaster Ministries team worked closely with local clergy, conference disaster response coordinators, and conference staff in the affected areas, participated in daily, weekly and monthly VOAD coordination calls, and developed a standing UCC coordination meeting that includes conference staff from the Southern, Southeast and Florida conferences. These efforts helped to connect local communities with an abundance of immediate relief resources. Through early conversations, it became clear that there is significant concern about the impacted region’s capacity to sustain long-term recovery efforts. This is an area the UCC has a long history of supporting and is committed to supporting here.

Unlike the communities along the Gulf Coast that have previous experience standing up long-term recovery efforts, for many of the inland communities this is the first time they have had to set up long-term recovery groups and other local infrastructure to support long-term recovery efforts.

Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery, continued conversations with ecumenical partners as well as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) in Western North Carolina to identify potential areas for collaboration.

High Country United Church of Christ in Vilas, North Carolina has completed the discernment process to become a volunteer host site, and is actively in the process of setting up to become a volunteer host site – more information will be shared about how to get involved soon.

Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery, continued to meet with the Florida Conference Disaster Response Team to build capacity and discuss possibilities for engagement.

In February 2025, Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery and Danielle Hickman, Minister for Volunteer engagement travelled to Western North Carolina to meet with local churches, build relationships and identify potential future opportunities for volunteer engagement.

In January 2025, the National Ministries of the UCC Disaster Ministries’ Emotional and Spiritual Care Team offered a 4-part learning series for pastors and church members in Western North Carolina, titled Rooted in Faith: A Journey of Hope and Healing. This learning series explored topics including grief, trauma, resilience and moving forward.

The UCC Disaster Ministries team immediately made contact with our Conference Disaster Response Coordinators (CDRCs) and Conference Staff in the affected area. We worked closely with churches and communities in affected areas to connect them to immediate response resources.

The National Ministries of the UCC issued a special appeal to raise funds in support of the long-term efforts that will be needed to assist communities in FL, GA, SC, NC, and TN recovery.

The National Ministries of the UCC Disaster Ministries team engaged in conversation with state Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) in the impacted areas to help determine needs and make connections with local churches that have been impacted.

The National Ministries of the UCC Disaster Ministries team established the Hurricanes 2024 Response Team which included weekly check-in conversations with Conference Disaster Response Coordinators (CDRCs) and Conference Staff in the impacted areas to discuss current needs including physical, financial and emotional and spiritual care needs.

The National Ministries of the UCC Disaster Ministries’ Emotional and Spiritual Care Team started offering a regular Gathering for Prayer and Reflection for Spiritual Caregivers Serving Disaster-Affected Communities.

Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery met with the Southeast Conference Disaster Response Team, and the Florida Conference Disaster Response Team to develop long-term recovery strategies.

Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response travelled to Florida for the Florida Conference Annual Meeting of the United Church of Christ to discuss disaster ministries and learn how we can continue to support our Florida churches during this time, as some have recently experienced disasters, and others are looking to be better prepared for future disasters.

In October 2024, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President, Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response, and Andrew Long-Higgins, Global HOPE team leader, visited members of the Southern Conference at Rev. Dr. Edward Davis’s, Southern Conference Minister, invitation.

The Ministry Capacity Rebuilding Grant recognizes that local churches, associations and conferences play a vital role within their communities during blue-sky and post-disaster times alike. The severe consequences of a major disaster often simultaneously increase a community’s needs and reduce the Church’s capacity to minister to those needs. This grant aims to provide tapered multi-year support for those seeking to rebuild, and in some cases build, their capacity to minister to the post-disaster needs of their community.

Global HOPE provided a ministry capacity rebuilding grant to Pass-a-Grille Beach Community Church, United Church of Christ (PAGBCC) in St. Pete Beach, FL to rebuild their thrift store. The PAGBCC thrift store was entirely damaged during the hurricanes, and it served a vital purpose to the wider community providing low-cost items to those in the community. The revenue from the thrift store continues to support the church, the community and other non-profit organizations in the area.

Global HOPE provided a Ministry Capacity Rebuilding Grant to High Country United Church of Christ in Vilas, NC. This funding will support their effort to become a volunteer host site and work closely with the Watauga County, LTRG that is starting to form. This funding would cover the capital improvements needed to become a volunteer host site, additional on-going maintenance costs, as well as supporting a volunteer coordinator position, who will serve for 20hrs/week to help with some of the logistical and administrative tasks related to hosting volunteers.

This grant is to provide provided to assistance for LTRGs to expand their efforts to support those who seek partners to complete their recovery. These grants are intended to support the implementation and programming of an LTRG and community partners operating in a disaster-impacted community with the involvement of a UCC Congregation, Association or Conference.

Global HOPE provided a long-term recovery and repair grant to Lutheran Disaster Response Carolinas to support a partnership with Mennonite Disaster Services to replace private bridges that were lost due to Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. There are over 5,000 bridges that need to be replaced throughout Western North Carolina. Bridge building is a crucial step towards helping homeowners return to their homes, as they have to be able to access the homes before repair work can begin on their homes.

Following a disaster, there is an opportunity to assist disaster survivors by supporting the formation of a community led Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG). Seed grants from Global HOPE are intended to support the collaborative implementation and programming of LTRGs. Funds should be directed toward areas of greatest need as determined by the LTRG.

Global HOPE provided a long-term recovery seed grant to Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in Asheville, NC to start conversations around long-term recovery groups in the greater Asheville, NC area.

Global HOPE provided a long-term recovery seed grant to United Way of South Sarasota County to scale up disaster case management from recent storms. Sarasota County sustained substantial damage from Hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Debby (2024), Helene (2024) and Milton (2024). This funding provides the long-term recovery group to increase disaster case management for an additional 600 families that have been impacted by these storms.

Following a disaster (natural or human-caused), or a mass migration event, there is an opportunity for ministry with affected persons through local UCC Congregations. Global HOPE provides solidarity grants to support this emergency relief work. Solidarity grants are intended to be used to assist or expand the capacity of local churches, associations, or a conference.

Global HOPE provided a solidarity matching grant in collaboration with the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ, to Pass-a-Grille Beach Community Church, United Church of Christ, to purchase hymnals, pew bibles, musical instruments and furnishings that were lost as a result of flooding due to Hurricane Helene.

Global HOPE provided a solidarity grant to First United Church of Tampa to assist with debris removal and property access.

Global HOPE provided a solidarity grant for Real Inspiration Ministries Fellowship UCC in Atlanta, GA to host a Stuff the Truck event providing basic needs (diapers, baby wipes, water, and non-perishable food) that were transported to Augusta, GA.

Global HOPE provided a solidarity grant to Church of the Isles in Indian Rocks Beach, FL to help stabilize the building after the substantial flooding that they had experienced.