Bishop hopes to restore church struck by Hurricane Helene for Sunday service

(27 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Valdosta, Georgia - 27 September 2024
1. Various exterior shots of damage in Union Cathedral church
2. Debris on the ground outside church
3. Bishop Wade McCrae walking inside the church, items and debris on the ground
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Wade McCrae, Bishop:
"Once the word gets out, we want to see what the weather is going to be the rest of the day. But, yeah, as you see, the deacons are showing up now trying to get everything done. We're close knit. Close knit, our congregation. The name of the church is Union, so we're, we're, we're proud of what we are as, as relates to, when catastrophes happen where there's death, storms, we, we come together and we make it happen. So we'll be back together shortly i'm sure."
5. Union Cathedral deacons arriving at building, debris on the ground
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Wade McCrae, Bishop:
"Everybody that we've texted, you know, lights are out. The Georgia Power is out. I think someone said that 99% of Valdosta has no power. But we're grateful. Again, no fatalities. And all this is we can, we can recover from this."
7. Various of building with damaged roof
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Wade McCrae, Bishop:
"Somebody said something about, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So we're, we're looking forward to making, putting this back together, and show up again on Sunday."
9. Aerial shot of Union Cathedral showing damaged exterior and debris on the ground
STORYLINE:
Hurricane Helene weakened into a tropical storm over Georgia Friday after making landfall overnight in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm.

As the hurricane’s eye passed near Valdosta, a city of 55,000 near the Florida line, dozens of people huddled early Friday in a darkened hotel lobby. While the wind howled outside, water dripped from light fixtures in the lobby dining area.

The hurricane’s winds stripped away the siding of Union Cathedral's steeple in Valdosta, exposing its metal frame and littering the parking lot with shredded foam and plaster.

Inside the entryway, the floor was strewn with thick glass shards, religious booklets and offering envelopes.

Pastor Wade McCrae, who preaches to 250 congregants in person most Sundays and hundreds more watching online, said the sanctuary was undamaged.

Deacons were running errands to being plywood and tools to cover the broken window.

McCrae hoped to be able to hold services this Sunday.

Helene is the third storm to strike Valdosta in just over a year. Tropical Storm Debby blacked out power to thousands in August, while Hurricane Idalia damaged an estimated 1,000 homes in Valdosta and surrounding Lowndes County a year ago.

At least 11 people have died so far in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said, as authorities continue to rescue people trapped by floodwaters.

AP video shot by Sharon Johnson and Mike Stewart

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