By Duhane Lindo, American Red Cross
Members of the First Baptist Church of Osteen, Fla., were moved to open their church doors to those in their community displaced by widespread flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Jason Turner, chairman of the deacons, explained: “Matthew 25:40 says ‘If you have done for the least of these my brothers, you have done for me.’ Opening up God’s house for God’s children, for the community, is like opening it up for the Lord himself.”
But he realized the congregation needed more than generosity of spirit to properly operate a shelter.
“Not being experienced with running a shelter, the (American) Red Cross was crucial with managing things,” he said. “If we managed it on our own, it could have been a debacle, but Red Cross stepped in and many agencies came together in times of need.”
Osteen, northeast of Orlando, is in the central wetlands of Florida and continues to be in a flood hazard zone as the St. Johns River remains at historic high levels.
“It’s a small knit community,” Turner said. “Being very sensitive to the needs of our community, most of the people that lived here have lived here for generations.
“So we, as any community in times of need, band together and do what’s necessary for the good of everyone.” Opening its doors in 1878, First Baptist is considered to be the oldest church in Volusia County.
In the aftermath of the hurricane, Red Cross and partners like First Baptist opened more than 70 emergency shelters and provided refuge to nearly 7,000 people displaced by the storm.
Shelter residents range from families with children – even babies – all the way to those 70 and older; many have complex health challenges and disabilities. And many have lost everything they owned because of hurricane damage. So in addition to shelter, food and health and emotional support, the Red Cross offers evacuees help to plan their next steps on the road to recovery.
American Red Cross relief is free to anyone with disaster-caused needs, thanks to the generosity of the American people. If you would like to support the Hurricane Ian response financially, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, text the words IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or call 1-800-HELP NOW.
