Boone, NC church becomes Helene recovery hub, one of dozens across Southeast: 'God will carry us through this'
A former North Carolina judge whose church is supporting relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene told Fox News Digital there "is a resounding faith" among residents that "God's still in control of this and that he will carry us through this."
Judge Phil Ginn, a resident of Boone, said the Perkinsville Church in the western North Carolina town is one of several in the region stepping up in the wake of the devastating storm, which has so far left more than 230 dead and caused billions in property damage.
"We're housing people in our church. We've given up all of our Sunday school space to literally house people who are coming to work," said Ginn, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary. "And so our church had just seen fit to not only help our neighbors, but to help those who are coming here to help our neighbors by feeding them. We've got a shower trailer set up and washer and dryer to keep their clothes clean."
Ginn described the storm as a "generational event" and said the recovery effort is going to be a "marathon that's going to last for years." However, he added that "it's amazing to me to see God has come to us during the storm."
"There is a resounding faith among folks that I'm talking to out there that God's still in control of this and that he will carry us through this. And so we have that faith to lean into," Ginn told Fox News Digital. "And it is stronger now than it ever was. The bond between us as human beings, as brothers and sisters, has really increased."
The help seems to be coming more from local people than the federal government, Ginn said.
President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump have each made multiple trips to affected areas, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has committed $110 million in federal aid to Helene victims, the White House said Saturday.
Ginn said people are coming together to help each other regardless of their circumstances or backgrounds.
"Nobody's asking what your politics are. Nobody's asking what your faith is. Nobody's asking if you just got out of prison. There's nothing of that," he said. "It's just if you need help, you're getting it from local people."
Ginn’s seminary, working alongside Samaritan’s Purse and the North Carolina Baptist Men’s Association, has established the SES Benevolence Fund for Hurricane Helene Relief, which is helping provide food, water, hygiene items, first aid kits and other essentials to those in need across four southeastern states.
"The great problem that we have right now is that virtually all of the damage was caused by water or mud, and none of that is covered by insurance. And so we've got families who were barely edging by with inflation and everything else, and now they've lost everything," Ginn told Fox News Digital.
"They've lost all their personal possessions. They can't live in their home. Their property is gone ... so it's going to be a mental health issue, and it's going to be an economic issue as well.
"It will never return to what it was," Ginn added. "We have not only buildings gone and towns gone, but the land on which these buildings are set ... that's gone too. Rivers have changed courses.
"We'll build each other up, and we'll come back through this because of our strong faith and because of our faith in each other."