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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
March 2005 |
Church was bright ray of hope in Indiana flood disaster this winter
According to Pastor Paul Huntsman of Hazelton, "The United Methodist Church was the brightest of many rays of hope. It was our connectional system that made managing the disaster and the ongoing cleanup possible."
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It was our connectional system that made managing the disaster and the ongoing cleanup possible. |
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources informed town officials on Sunday, Jan. 9 that they should expect major flooding. National Guard troops from Seymour came for a sandbagging detail. By nightfall a flood like the one of 1912, the largest flood recorded on the White River, was expected. The Guard stayed with limited provisions.
By Monday, Jan. 10 women of the Hazelton UMC and town volunteers had set up a dining hall in the Hazelton Community Building. Huntsman reported, "By evening we were serving meals to about 150 National Guard troops and many others from various agencies now in town to help with directing traffic and the relief efforts - a big job for a town of 200 and a church of 100 members.
"Monday night things took a turn for the worse. The levee was in danger of breaking. Half the town had to be evacuated (including the community building) and the water system was contaminated. We made arrangements for the affected families, shut off gas service to the homes and closed down the Community Building," said Huntsman.
By daybreak on Tuesday, Jan. 11 the Hazelton UMC had been transformed. A wash stand stood beside the building's front steps, two generators were running outside to meet electrical needs, three portable outside toilets sat in the back parking lot, the kitchen bustled with cooks and hundreds of people were eating breakfast in the basement fellowship hall.
The Patoka UMC became the staging area for supplies. Pastor Greg Davis and others from the church delivered needed provisions. Bethel UMC arrived with paper goods before breakfast was over and even went to Evansville to purchase more goods. Area churches supplied whatever was needed.
Huntsman said, "When we needed water, Wheatland UMC brought it. When we needed personal care items for the National Guard and volunteers, Mt. Olive UMC turned their Wednesday Bible Study into a make-health-kits session."
Terrell Thompson, a retired UMC pastor, drove 70 miles to meet a truck and pick up health kits from the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Ill.
"When state officials determined it was unsafe to have people working on the levee without life jackets, I called the Vincennes District Office and the needed supplies arrived about two hours later," said Huntsman.
The Brushwood UMC in Rensselaer, Ind. called and sent $600 to help with the food cost.
"I cannot possibly name each United Methodist Church that sent supplies and funds to meet out needs during the flood, Huntsman said. "Our needs were met at amazing speed and with cheerful hearts. I'm proud to be a United Methodist! I know in my heart that no other organization could have acted with the speed of our church.
"No sooner did we have a need than a United Methodist church was there to meet that need. Even our new Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels commented on how well we were organized and supplied," Huntsman said.
The clean up in Hazelton continues. So does the response of The United Methodist Church. According to Huntsman, there is now a need to repair homes, replace lost furniture and household items. He said that the church continues to meet the needs "with cheerfulness and the love of God."
Both South and North Indiana Conferences received $10,000 in emergency funds each from the United Methodist Committee on Relief to assist in flood recovery efforts.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008