ALPHARETTA, Ga. — In Los Angeles, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers recently began helping homeowners sort through the remaining ashes of their houses in an attempt to salvage any belongings that may have survived the wildfires that swept through the area in January.

On the other side of the nation in Appalachia, SBDR volunteers came alongside families who were impacted by heavy February flooding followed by days of bitter cold.

“It is a testimony to the years of dedicated service and networking Southern Baptist have done through the decades that SBDR has the ability to bring help, healing and hope throughout the United States in the aftermath of multiple disasters,” said Coy Webb, crisis response director for Send Relief and previous leader of Kentucky’s SBDR.

By the end of February, California SBDR had led the effort to provide thousands of people with emotional and spiritual care through their chaplaincy network and completed property recovery — or an “ash out” — for more than 100 homeowners with some 250 homes still to be served.

“Disaster Relief is the price of admission to earn the right to share the hope of Jesus,” wrote California SBDR Director Kendrick Neal in a recent update. “Over the past few weeks, our teams have had nearly 6,000 ministry contacts — praying, encouraging, and sharing the gospel. Four people have given their lives to Christ! Praise God!”

Neal noted that teams from twelve states had traveled to the area to assist in the L.A. fire response, including volunteers from Hawaii, the Northwest, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas and Missouri.

Send Relief, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) compassion ministry arm, supported the response by providing fire recovery supplies and financial resources that SBDR volunteers used to provide meals and assist in property recovery.

Mid-February flooding impacted several Appalachian states as heavy rainfall combined with melting snow to overwhelm river systems, leading to significant flooding in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.

SBDR dotted the region with flood response sites that provided meals along with setting up laundry and shower units for the public to use.

“The recovery work in Appalachia will shift into full gear, and leaders throughout the region expect that SBDR will be able to assist several hundred homes,” Webb said.

To aid SBDR in their response, Send Relief delivered flood recovery supplies throughout the impacted region as well as some cases of bottled water and financial assistance where they were needed.

SBDR teams within the region are mobilizing along with groups from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Illinois. Other states are on standby to send volunteers if the response calls for more assistance.

“Southern Baptists always step up during these times of need,” Webb said. “We have one of the largest groups of trained volunteers in the area of disaster response. Now is a good time to give to the efforts of SBDR or consider connecting with your local state leadership to find out how to become a volunteer.”

To give, volunteer or learn more about local state SBDR response efforts, visit Send Relief’s SBDR landing page here.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board.)