We Must Not Forget the Flood Victims

The sleepy little town of Pollocksville, North Carolina only has around 300 residents.  Unless you travel to Emerald Isle by way of Highway 58, you may have never heard of this tiny Jones County hamlet.  I know Pollocksville well, not only because it is my wife’s hometown, but it is where I was first called as a pastor back in 1977. 

        The church stepped out on a limb when they called a young 23 year old inexperienced pastor.  I sure had a lot to learn, but they were patient and kind.  We loved living in the small town where we walked to the bank and the Post Office and lived next door to the church.  I was on the fire department and the rescue squad.  We got together for “pig pickins” and fish stews.  The three churches; Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, worshiped together at Thanksgiving, Maundy Thursday, and at sunrise on Easter Sunday.  Everybody knew their neighbor and in times of need, you could count on friends and even strangers to help. 

        The biggest weather disaster while I lived in Pollocksville was the March 1980 blizzard that dumped almost two feet of snow on Jones County.  When the power went out, I put my fireman boots on and trudged through the deep snow to the church where I retrieved a gas heater.  The whole family slept together in the family room as the little gas heater kept us warm. The storm paralyzed the town for a couple of days.  We were all worried about the Methodist preacher’s wife who was expecting a baby any minute, but the baby held off and the snow melted and we soon returned to normal.  Three weeks ago Hurricane Florence dealt a crippling blow to my old town.  There may not be a normal to return to now. 

        It wasn’t just the almost 40 inches of rain that fell from the skies, but it was the Trent River that soon overflowed its banks and produced unprecedented flooding and devastation.  The town’s mayor was interviewed by a local television station with water standing behind him as far as you could see.  It wasn’t the river or a lake; it was Highway 17, the main traffic artery through the town.  The water was nine to ten feet deep in places.  It flooded dozens of homes, leaving them full of mud and debris.  My first church is located blocks away from the river, but it flooded along with the parsonage.  Many of the houses in Pollocksville have been destroyed and will not be livable until major renovations can be completed.  Some are fearful the residents will never return. 

        We quickly returned to normal in Lexington and Davidson County following the storm.  We’re getting ready for the BBQ Festival, Halloween festivals, and Sportsman Saturday.  But for thousands of our neighbors in the eastern part of the state, it will take years to recover.  

        Let’s not forget the flood victims.  There are many ways we can reach out and make a difference.  Many of our churches have connections to denominational disaster relief ministries that have boots on the ground in the flood damaged regions.  All of these ministries need financial support.  There are churches and schools that continue to collect supplies for those have suffered great losses in the flood.  And I know there are churches that will be sponsoring work teams to go and help with the massive clean-up effort.  Some can give, some can go and we all can pray.

        We were spared major damage from the storm.  Our neighbors down east were not.  I hope that our gratitude in our good fortune will translate into acts of compassion and mercy for those who are suffering.   Dr. Albert Schweitzer once wrote, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”