Hurricane Florence Recovery—St. Andrew, New Bern

In late October 2018, five weeks after Hurricane Florence, Deacon GeoRene Jones, synod liaison for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), hosted LDR’s U.S. Program Director, Pastor Mike Stadie, as they met with some of our Coastal congregations to listen and see the damage after the storm.

The roof of the sanctuary was severely damaged by the storm. Several days of torrential rains followed by warm weather left the interior of the sanctuary sodden, causing mold on nearly every inch of surface area. Even worse, 15 families in the congregation lost their homes. Still, St. Andrew members welcomed, housed, and fed volunteer recovery crews.

Pastor Stadie and Deacon Jones were joined by Lutheran Services Carolinas (LSC) Disaster Response Coordinator Paul Dunn as they met with St. Andrew’s to hear their specific needs and those of the wider Craven County community.