by Julie Daubé

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated Florida and several other southern states, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida Wednesday night, October 9. The Alliance’s Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, which was in Milton’s direct path, began evacuating their residents to the facility’s shelters well ahead of the storm’s arrival. On October 10, Shell Point staff reported: “We are thankful to share that our sheltering residents have made it through the storm and are safe. We are currently in the process of assessing the overall condition of our community and will provide a full update as soon as we have a complete understanding.”

Tom Flanders, district superintendent for The Alliance Southeast, shared the following update on Thursday, October 10:

As reports have shown, we’ve had multiple tornadoes today within the state with initial reports of numerous casualties. Some of these touched down near the homes of pastors and Alliance church buildings. Thankfully, we have no injuries of Alliance Southeast workers to report at this time. Daylight will reveal the extent of other damage along the coast and across central Florida. We are trusting the One who is ever merciful and thank you for praying. As we will be busy assisting with recovery needs and navigating traffic flows from mass evacuations, I may not be able to provide immediate updates.

Although not as destructive as expected, Hurricane Milton left over 3 million Floridians without power, and some fatalities have been reported. On Thursday, the storm was moving out of the state and making its way to the Atlantic, but damaging winds continued in its wake.

Prayer Requests

While thanking God for the good report from The Alliance Southeast and Shell Point, please continue to pray for everyone affected by Hurricane Milton. Pray also for Shell Point staff as they minister to residents while dealing with the aftermath of the storm. Pray for God’s peace and healing for Floridians who are suffering trauma in the wake of two hurricanes, especially for those who have lost loved ones, homes, or businesses.

Pray, too, for ongoing recovery efforts. Doug Prentice, U.S. Disaster Relief coordinator for Church Ministries, observes, “Based on my experiences with several large-scale natural disasters, there is an initial, overwhelming response to help in the first weeks following the disaster, but there can be long-term needs for financial assistance and volunteers to help with cleanup and rebuilding for years to come.”

If you feel led to give financially to U.S. Alliance disaster response efforts, you can do so here.

Photo credit: ABC News