GREENVILLE, S.C. (BP) — Tony Wolfe said as he drives around his state, he sees months and months of work to do in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

“This may be the biggest disaster at least in terms of wind damage that our state has ever known,” said Wolfe, executive director-treasurer for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

On Sept. 26 and 27, Helene barreled through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina before hanging over North Carolina and Tennessee and causing unprecedented flooding. The death toll from the storm is rising — more than 175 have been confirmed dead.

And thousands of people across the five states are trying to deal with the lack of power, find those who are missing, clean up roads and houses and find food to eat.

‘Come and serve our neighbors’

“Pray that God would continue to put it on the hearts of His people to come and serve our neighbors and our neighborhoods for months, six to 12 or maybe even 18 months,” Wolfe said.

The first Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief (ABDR) teams are already on the ground in South Carolina as well as Georgia, said Mark Wakefield, ABDR strategist.

ABDR is running point on Southern Baptist disaster relief efforts in Clearwater, South Carolina, with a feeding team preparing and serving meals to the surrounding county. Chainsaw crews are also helping with cleanup.

“We have 250 jobs turned in for chainsaw help,” Wakefield said. “And we’re steadily climbing — I would be surprised if we didn’t hit 500 soon. The more teams we have out, the more people see the logo and they’ll ask for help.”

Between that site and the team serving in the mobile kitchen in Alma, Georgia, Alabama Baptists have about 100 volunteers currently on the ground. But many more are still needed, Wakefield said.

Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said the organization has sent disaster relief funds on behalf of Alabama Baptists to state convention partners in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

“I want Alabama Baptists to know that 100% of funds that are being given for disaster relief will be shared with our sister state conventions,” he said.

‘In this for the long term’

Lance said he is grateful that Alabama Baptists are able to go as the “yellow shirt army” to help affected communities in the “long, dark hours, days and months” after a disaster.

“I ask all Alabama Baptists to pray for those who have been affected by this massive hurricane that took so many lives and damaged property estimated in multiple billions of dollars,” Lance said. “God hears our prayers, and we need to pray fervently and faithfully.”

Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief is “in this for the long term,” he said, and he asked for prayer for those currently serving.

Wolfe said that Alabama Baptists are “kind of leading the way here in South Carolina” with the help they have sent.

“We’re very, very thankful for Alabama Baptists,” he said.

Working together as a ‘family’

Wolfe said this crisis has provided “an opportunity for us to become who I know we are — that is one family with one mission through one cooperative effort.”

“We do have a financial need — the devastation is great,” he said. “We also need more teams to come. There’s months and months’ worth of work for chainsaw units, and that’s all over the state.”

Wolfe asked for prayer for endurance for those who are working and “for God to open the hearts of people in our neighborhoods who need to hear and respond to the gospel favorably.”

Those who wish to contribute to relief efforts may visit sbdr.org/give.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in The Alabama Baptist.)