My favorite non-profit organization—One More Child—made emergency shipments to us. Fuel supplies are not what they do, but they understood the crisis and responded. We were rationing half gallons to keep medical equipment running for people with life-threatening conditions. Thankfully, our Governor opened supplies just in time. I don’t want to overdramatize what was happening, but I believe we were mere hours away from a complete societal meltdown. 

Floridians are a tough bunch. Hurricanes happen. We prepare for them and know how to weather storms. But two back-to-back major hurricanes in as many weeks is a lot, even for the most grizzled local. Helene brought a record surge to our coastal community, and Milton was a nasty wind event. I rode out both storms. Milton’s eye passed through my neighborhood, and the backside of the eyewall was like nothing I’ve experienced in previous storms. My church, West Bradenton, responded immediately. Here’s what I’ve learned from the past few weeks.

The flight, fight, and freeze responses are unavoidable. People react differently to an acute crisis. My church started serving the neighborhood at first light after the storm. We focused on the most desperate first. One home had been split in two by a large tree, and I was expecting the possibility of finding someone who had passed away. A shirtless gentleman approached us.

“Are you the homeowner?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“How did you manage the storm?”

“I slept through the whole thing,” he laughed. “But there was a lot of alcohol involved!”

You must minister to people where they are, which includes a host of factors—geography, socioeconomics, language, and emotions. When someone is experiencing a fight, flight, or freeze response, often the most important variable for ministry is their emotional state.

Most of the recovery work is done by locals. The running joke around here is true. Waiting for a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. But once the storm passes, everything happens fast. In an area like Bradenton, our grocery and hardware stores will be restocked before the supplies you ship arrive. Some of our stores run on generators and are open when the power is out. The first boots on the ground are locals. Our county “first-in” team did a phenomenal job clearing roads. It was local men and women who stepped up. Locals chainsaw and deliver generators.

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