Rutherford Countians head to hurricane relief, recovery efforts for areas affected by Hurricane Ian

Teams from Rutherford County from a variety of organizations are headed to aid in hurricane relief and recovery efforts for areas hit hard by Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday.

Where will Ian go next?:Southeast US braces for fierce impacts; another landfall expected

St. Mark's United Methodist team

It may be 10 days to two weeks before volunteers from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church disaster team in Murfreesboro can make it into the heart of devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ian “because it’s so bad,” said volunteer coordinator Paul Givens.

“In many places, it will be hard to get through roads,” said Givens, a longtime volunteer with the church. “Some of the pavement has been take up off the roads. It’s total chaos when you have one that bad.”

St. Mark’s disaster team primarily focuses on cutting trees that have fallen or been mangled in the storms, creating pathways for recovery and rebuilding. “In order to do that you have to be ready to go as soon as possible, but as soon as possible varies,” Givens said.

And yes, the work is dangerous. But Givens said volunteers rely on God’s protection while they work to help others.

“We believe the Lord will take care of us,” Givens said.

Although the team already has a solid group of volunteers, anyone wishing to help fund the disaster relief in a monetary way can mail a check or donate to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 1267 N. Rutherford Blvd., Murfreesboro, TN 37130, or donate online at stmarkstn.org.

But regardless of whether you’re able to give money or not, “we ask that you pray for them,” Givens said.

MTE to Carolinas

Crews from Middle Tennessee Electric left Thursday morning for Ridgeland, South Carolina, to assist Palmetto Electric Cooperative with power restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

“A special thanks to these men and all the line workers who leave home and work long hours in dangerous conditions and inclement weather to restore power to those in need,” said Chris Jones, MTE president, and CEO.

Palmetto Electric serves over 75,000 members in Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties along the southern coast of South Carolina. 

Hurricane Ian made landfall along the southwest Florida coastline at Punta Gorda, Florida, near Port Charlotte on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm.

On its current track, the storm will be in the Palmetto Electric service territory area on Friday, but officials still expect significant power outages due to high winds and tornadoes. So MTE crews will be arriving ahead of the storm to be ready to aid in the restoration process immediately.  

“As a cooperative, Middle Tennessee Electric abides by the Seven Cooperative Principles, one of which calls for cooperation between cooperatives,” Jones said. “This means that cooperatives help each other, particularly when faced with serious storm damage and destruction. MTE was the beneficiary of this type of help following the tornado in Wilson County in 2020, and we’re always ready to aid another cooperative in its time of need.”

Red Cross Heart of Tennessee Chapter

Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross is responding to areas affected by Hurricane Fiona, which hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, and Typhoon Merbok, which pummeled the Alaskan coast during the second week of September.

Trained volunteers from the Heart of Tennessee Chapter, based in Murfreesboro, joined hundreds of others from across the country to man shelters and provide assistance.

The Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross is also hosting fast-track shelter trainings for people interested in volunteering. Each shelter training will take four hours to complete and will cover all the required courses needed to become a shelter worker.

The Heart of Tennessee Chapter, located at 501 Memorial Blvd. in Murfreesboro, will host trainings at 2 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com.