From Beryl to Ernesto, ‘extremely active’ hurricane season continues

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others stepping up to help those affected

by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service

Supplies were collected at St. Andrew’s Kirk Presbyterian Church of Grenada. (Photo by Alison Budhlall)

LOUISVILLE — As then-tropical storm Ernesto neared Puerto Rico earlier this week, the director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance briefed colleagues on the storm that was to come.

“We have been in contact with our partners in Puerto Rico, sharing our care and our solidarity and hoping that this storm passes as far (away) as possible,” the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo said during a Tuesday morning staff meeting. However, “they’re expecting around six to eight inches of rain and winds up to 50 miles per hour.”

By Wednesday morning, nearly half a foot of rain had indeed fallen in Puerto Rico, and Ernesto had strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds of at least 74 miles per hour, according to The New York Times. There also were reports of widespread power outages, which are now raising concerns about extreme heat and the lack of water that many people are experiencing.

An estimated “427,000 are without power on Puerto Rico,” the Rev. Jim Kirk, PDA National Associate, said Thursday. “That represents about 30% of the population. Many hospitals are operating on generators.”

Also, more than 25 roads are closed due to landslides and floods, González-Castillo said.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map charted Hurricane Ernesto’s progress. (Courtesy of NOAA)

Ernesto is the latest in what has continued to be a hectic and intense Atlantic hurricane season, which started with record-breaking Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category-5 Atlantic hurricane on record, and there’s more stormy weather to come due to conditions such as warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently noted that “atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for an extremely active hurricane season that could rank among the busiest on record.” It also offered some advice: “With the peak of hurricane season quickly approaching, NOAA’s National Weather Service urges everyone to know their risk; prepare for threats like damaging winds, storm surge and inland flooding from heavy rainfall; and to have a plan if asked to evacuate.”

PDA also has been promoting preparedness, noting that September is National Preparedness Month.

The 2024 hurricane season already has had five named storms — Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, and Ernesto — and communities, residents and churches have been feeling the impact.

In the Houston area, multiple churches were damaged by Beryl, which made landfall as a category 1 near Matagorda, Texas on July 8, having weakened from an earlier Category 5.

The Rev. Lynn Hargrove is General Presbyter and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of New Covenant and commented on how Beryl differed from Hurricane Harvey.

In 2017, with Hurricane Harvey, “we had 50-some odd inches of water pour over on us in a couple of days, and although we’re on the coast, we had several buildings that had four feet of water in them, and so that was more damaging,” she said. “This was more wind damage, and in the state of Texas, insurance companies are trying to get out of covering wind.”

Kirk said he’s been impressed with the way that multiple churches have reached out to help their communities during this hurricane season. By doing so, they have been “a blessing to their community and their neighborhoods.”

First Presbyterian Church in rural Bay City, Texas, hosted relief workers at their church after Beryl hit the area. The workers came from Inspiritus as well as International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to help affected residents with tasks such as tree removal, said Pastor Charley Shurtz. When the request came in, ‘I said, ‘Sure, come on down. You’re welcome. We need all the help we can get,’” he said.

Local officials allowed the church to hook up a mobile shower for the workers, who stayed in classrooms in the church’s upstairs on mattresses brought by the workers.

“Inspiritus teams provided free home assessment, chainsaw, debris removal, and muck and gut services wherever needed most, with a priority on assisting the most vulnerable: families with children, seniors, veterans and low-income households,” said Sherry Buresh, executive director of disaster relief for Inspiritus.

Church members helped to keep the workers well-fed. “Some of the ladies at church got together, and several nights they made up supper, brought it to one of the people in the church, he owns a donut shop, and …. once he figured out they were staying there, every morning, they got several boxes of food for breakfast,” Shurtz said.

Volunteers housed at First Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Texas, helped with the clearing of trees and did other jobs after Hurricane Beryl. (Photo courtesy of Pastor Charley Shurtz)

“The First Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Texas, not only opened its doors to make it possible for our team to respond, they were so welcoming and helpful in other ways too,” Buresh said. “They provided us with names of homeowners needing assistance, they donated food for our volunteers and did everything possible to make us feel appreciated and valued.  We can’t thank them enough.”

In the Houston area, Pines Presbyterian Church has hosted another organization, Team Rubicon, and Clear Lake Presbyterian Church is among those that have served as Red Cross shelters.

“We were a Red Cross shelter for 18 days during recovery from Beryl,” said the Rev. Katrina Pennington, Clear Lake Presbyterian Church’s Senior Associate Pastor, in an email. “It was the first time in a very long time that we have served as a Red Cross shelter, but sheltering people is not new to us. We have been blessed with a very nice facility and we feel compelled to share the space.”

Hargrove said at least eight churches in her presbytery will be receiving grant assistance from PDA.

“PDA sent a response team to Houston on July 16 to survey the damage across the southern part of the presbytery, which is closer to the coast,” Hargrove said. “They also visited a few congregations in Houston that had sustained damage.  We are grateful for their willingness to come, and for the opportunity to apply for grant funding to help our damaged church facilities in some way.”

Many prayers were said during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly for the people of Grenada, who experienced Hurricane Beryl before Texas. The Rev. Dr. R. Osbert James, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Grenada, said they have provided bags with toiletries, cleaning supplies and personal items, some water coolers, tarpaulins and wash basins to various impacted communities, González-Castillo said.

Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 1 Hurricane on Aug. 5. Debby brought flooding, destructive winds and damaging tornadoes to affected areas, from Florida to the Northeast. The storm made landfall very close to where Hurricane Idalia made landfall in 2023, Kirk said. Sarasota, Florida in Peace River Presbytery was especially hard hit.

Church of the Palms in Sarasota is collecting supplies, such as bottled water, disinfectant wipes, snacks and large black trash bags, and Wintergarden Presbyterian Church has been urging people to take part, according to Facebook posts.

“The unmet needs from so many disasters outpace the resources of any one organization,” Kirk said. “Now more than ever, we are blessed to be part of a connectional church. At our best, we work together as the body of Christ, living out our faith and helping our neighbors.”

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Gifts to support PDA’s response to Hurricane Debby and Tropical Storm Ernesto can be designated to DR000169. Gifts to support PDA’s response to Hurricane Beryl can be designated to DR000194