The following is the second article in a series discussing the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Florence.

A year after Hurricane Florence, homes throughout Beaufort County and the surrounding area are still awaiting much-needed repairs. Some of these same homes have damages dating back to Hurricane Matthew. Repairing these homes and getting people back into good living environments is the mission of United Methodist Disaster Response.

The group has been working towards this goal since responding to Hurricane Irene in 2011. Setting up shop in Beaufort County after that disaster, the group never left. One disaster after the next has kept them busy, year after year.

Currently, the group is working on 11 homes in the area, with 10 more next on the list for repairs. Add to that 36 more homes in Beaufort County, three in Hyde County and seven in Pamlico County that are still undergoing casework, and the workload for the Christian ministry remains heavy.

“As of right now, we have 67 homes that need work that are either active or pending,” said Disaster Response Administrator and Casework Manager Donna Brander. “And that’s if nobody new calls us, and they’re calling us every day.”

Some of the families the group is helping haven’t been able to return home yet. For others, there is no other option but to stay in the storm-damaged homes, waiting for help.

“Some of them have been waiting three years, since they were hit with Matthew,” Brander said. “Some are out of their house since Florence and others are living in it, no matter what, since they have no place to go.”

At the heart of the ministry’s efforts, teams of volunteers have come to Beaufort County from across the country with the sole purpose of helping those impacted by storms. Those volunteers do everything from mucking out homes to mold remediation to repairs and roofing. Teams come not just from Methodist churches, but denominations across the spectrum, and can even be made up of college groups or teams of friends who want to do some good.

While Hurricane Dorian last week spared the area in terms of flooding and major damage to homes, the group still has its hands full from previous disasters.

“We were really lucky that we weren’t really devastated by Dorian,” Brander said. “We really dodged the bullet there. It’s an absolute blessing that we didn’t get hit, but a lot of our southern teams are over in Ocracoke trying to help there. We just watch the weather and pray.”

Those interested in volunteering to help can contact the Disaster Response Call Center at disasterresponse@nccumc.org or 888-440-9167. To learn more about the ministry, or to give, visit nccumc.org/disaster.