Photo essay: Hurricane Sally: A sprint becomes a marathon
Erik Lunsford
Paul Pacey III, a congregation member at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fairhope, Ala., surveys his damaged home alongside the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson (left), director of LCMS World Relief & Human Care Disaster Response and the Rev. Michael Meyer, director of Disaster Training, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Fairhope. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
Story by Kevin Armbrust | Photos by Erik M. Lunsford
When Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm on Sept. 16, she did not pass quickly over Alabama and the Western Panhandle of Florida. Instead, she sat and dumped rain — up to 30 inches in some locations — before battering the area with severe winds, causing uprooted trees, damaged roofs, extensive power outages and widespread loss of cell phone service.
As he met with pastors of congregations affected by Sally, LCMS Southern District President Rev. Eric C. Johnson reminded them that disaster recovery involves both an immediate response — a “sprint” — and an extended one — a “marathon.” Considering Sally’s slow pace, the racing metaphor was full of irony.
Johnson added, “It’s pretty unprecedented that two hurricanes would hit the same district in two weeks. … [It’s] really stretched us financially to help.” Two weeks earlier, Hurricane Laura had made landfall in Louisiana.
The initial assessment of Hurricane Sally’s damage revealed that 19 congregations in Alabama and Florida were affected. The storm impacted the entire community, including schools, the district camp and members’ homes.
“A lot of people are used to facing hurricanes here, but this one was unexpected. The uncertainty … is unsettling,” said the Rev. William Parsons, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fairhope, Ala. “Every one of my parishioners has damage of some kind.”
“No matter how bad this is, God is with us, and He loves us,” said Paul Pacey III, a Redeemer member who rode out the storm with his family in his home’s lower level once they heard parts of their siding beating against the house. When the storm ended, the morning light revealed a large tree that had destroyed much of the house’s second story.
Five days later, Pacey noted that, after attending church on Sunday, he finally felt closer to normal again. “My wife and I have had the conversation many times, that I don’t know how people get through all of this without Christ and without their church family. …
“It changes everything to be able to call out to your Heavenly Father. It makes it not earth-shattering. God is with us. He is here.”
The Rev. Paul McComack (center), pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Panama City, Fla., walks Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, through a neighborhood in Pensacola, Fla., that was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally. He and other volunteers from Trinity setup an outreach kitchen and offered meals to storm victims and those helping in the cleanup.
The Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS World Relief & Human Care Disaster Response, surveys a home damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Point Clear, Ala.
The flag with the Luther seal outside Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., is shredded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
The Rev. Paul McComack (center), pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Panama City, Fla., and the Rev. Wayne Watts, associate pastor, prepare food for neighbors from Trinity’s outreach kitchen setup in a flooded neighborhood of Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
The Rev. Eric C. Johnson, president of the LCMS Southern District and the Rev. Michael Meyer, director of Disaster Training at LCMS World Relief & Human Care Disaster Response, unload generators at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fairhope, Ala, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford
The exterior sign of Jehovah Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020.
Relief supplies in the community building at Grace Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla.
The Rev. Ferry Nye, pastor of Jehovah Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., prays with the Rev. Eric C. Johnson, president of the LCMS Southern District, outside the church.
The Rev. Randy Blankschaen, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., holds his sleeping son as he assesses damage to the sanctuary in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
Fallen tree debris outside Redeemer Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
Paul Pacey III, a congregation member at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fairhope, Ala., surveys his damaged home alongside the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson (left), director of LCMS World Relief & Human Care Disaster Response and the Rev. Michael Meyer, director of Disaster Training, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Fairhope.
A stained glass cross in the family home of the Rev. Randy Blankschaen, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. The drywall was removed after their home flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.
