Crisis-trained Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains have been deployed to Putnam County, Tennessee, following ice storms that damaged homes and snapped power lines.
Tennessee is in a state of emergency after freezing rain and icy air created dangerous conditions. Between car accidents and hypothermia, the weather has caused 22 deaths in the state. Thousands were left without heat because of power outages from the ice.
The small town of Monterey, Tennessee, is just off Interstate 40 in Putnam County, about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. It appears to have been hit hardest by the storm, which coated trees in thick ice, sending them crashing down on cars, buildings and power lines.
“It’s just a big, nasty mess,” Monterey Mayor Bill Wiggins told local newspaper the Herald-Citizen. He added that it’s the worst weather event to hit Monterey for about half a century.
Rapid Response Team chaplain Mike Clark was in Putnam County by Monday morning. Clark lives in northeast Alabama and was able to make the drive across the border in just a couple of hours.
Four more crisis-trained chaplains arrived by Monday night. They deployed to Tennessee with sister ministry Samaritan’s Purse, which will help residents remove fallen trees, cover damaged roofs with tarps and help with other needs that come up.
The chaplains are there to provide emotional and spiritual care to people who are dealing with storm damage, loss of power or temporary homelessness, since some residents are staying in shelters.
“They’re not used to this kind of ice or even the cold temperatures they’ve had this past week,” said Al New, manager of deployments and operations for the Rapid Response Team. “There are still some homes with no power, so they’re dealing with no heat. People are dealing with roofs being damaged, and it rained last night, so they have rain going into their homes and probably destroying more of their stuff.”
Al and his wife Toni lived in Tennessee for many years. They know an inch of ice may not sound like much, especially to people in other parts of the country digging out from six feet of snow. But to the residents of Putnam County, and the families who have lost loved ones, this is a big deal.
People who are suffering could be looking for some hope and encouragement, and that’s what the chaplains are there to offer.
“Our goal is mainly to come alongside with a ministry of presence, and support them,” Al New said. “To help them get through this.”
