The Board of World Mission is the agency that coordinates the North American Moravian response to disasters around the world. While Hurricane Helene came ashore as a category four hurricane in Florida’s panhandle, some of its most significant damage came in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. Laurel Ridge, the Moravian Camp and Conference Center in North Carolina, is located about 40 miles east of Boone, right in the middle of one of these hard-hit areas. This region received more than 20 inches of rain with sustained winds of over 50 mph. This has caused widespread power outages, landslides, downed trees, and severe flooding. Laurel Ridge has sustained water damage in Higgins Lodge and several of the summer camp cabins. High winds have brought down a large number of trees, and they are currently without power, which may not be restored for another two weeks. In addition, the summer camp lake dam has had a mudslide, and engineers are currently inspecting it.
The Board Of World Mission is partnering with our friends at Laurel Ridge to help with cleanup, as well as to assist them as they reach out to their neighbors in need. In the short term, the camp will be seeking to distribute food and supplies to their neighbors as well as cleaning up the camp grounds, and repairing their buildings. Then, in the longer term they will look to host mission teams to help with projects on the camp, but also in the homes of those who live around the camp. Please stay tuned at MoravianMission.org for more details as they become available.
100% of the donations received for our MDR Fund go to providing relief for these disasters. You can join in our disaster response efforts at MoravianMission.org/Give/. Please designate your gift to “MDR”. If you wish to mail your donation, please make the check payable to “Board of World Mission” and send it to one of the following addresses:
U.S. Donors: Board of World Mission, 1021 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Canadian Donors: Moravian Church in Canada, 600 Acadia Drive SE, Calgary, AB T2J 0B8. Interac e-Transfer donations may be sent to [email protected]. Please include your name and address in the comments section of the transfer to receive tax receipts.
Click here to download this information as a bulletin insert.
