Southern Adventist University dispatched two disaster relief teams to Fort Myers, Florida, after Hurricane Ian struck the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The teams, consisting of students and staff, were sent in two trips: the first taking place Oct. 9 to 12 and the second Oct. 12 to 16.
According to an NBC News article, Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa, an island just west of Fort Myers. The article described Ian, which hit Florida as a category 4 storm, as one of the most powerful hurricanes to touch down in the United States in decades. More than two million buildings lost power.
The first Southern service group ran points of distribution (POD) for locals, and the second group worked on debris removal, or “muck-outs,” according to information provided by Laura Racovita, dean of the School of Social Work, and Cheryl Craven, director of Humanitarian Engagement and Christian Service, in an email to the Accent. PODs are places where hurricane victims can get food and water.
In the email, Racovita and Craven explained that the teams’ mission also included social and spiritual goals.
“We [helped out] out wherever needed, whether [it was] debris removal, helping distribute essentials at Points of Distribution, [or] talking and praying with and for those who are hurting in these difficult moments,” the email stated. “Our goal is to serve, provide a helping hand, lend an ear, pray and then invite people to learn more about our Savior.”
Racovita, who helps lead Southern’s disaster response team, began the process of preparing the trips by submitting a proposal to the university’s administration, the email said. The school’s deans and chairs followed administration’s approval by giving their unanimous support. After setting academic qualifications for interested students, such as one completed semester at Southern, the team began processing applications. Nearly 80 individuals expressed interest, and 55 applied, which was more than could be accommodated, according to the email.
Craven and Racovita wrote that more students were interested in and applied for the Hurricane Ian relief trips than for the trips aiding victims of hurricanes Harvey (2017), Florence (2018) and Michael (2018). In response to Michael, 52 students applied and 13 were deployed within a group of 22 individuals.
In response to Ian, 15 students and two sponsors were deployed on the first trip, and 24 students, two sponsors and one staff driver were deployed on the second, Racovita specified in a later email.
The driver was Christina Donesky, international student services coordinator, who drove 14 hours straight, both ways. The Accent interviewed Donesky during the trip.
“I am glad to help and be a part of it so that students can have the opportunity to serve,” she said. “I think it’s really important that staff show a good model of why service is important.”
Donesky added that she enjoyed connecting with students she would not normally be able to spend time with on campus. April West, a junior health science major who accompanied Donesky on the second trip, agreed, stating in an interview that hanging out with her fellow students was one of the best parts of her experience.
West originally had fall break plans set in motion, which would have occurred during the second trip, but couldn’t escape the call to serve after she saw the schoolwide email asking for volunteers.
“[The email] kept bothering me in the back of my mind,” she said, “so I decided to pray about it. I asked God for a specific sign if He wanted me to go on this mission trip or not, and He answered. … He gave me the sign that I needed, and so that’s why I’m here now.”
West said debris removal was physically tough. Joshua Kim, senior chemistry major, further described the work, explaining that the group raked debris and cut branches when needed.
“The best moment was probably when we cut down a really big tree branch yesterday that was just over this creek,” he said. “The guy in charge said, ‘Nah, it’s too big. You can’t do it.’ But we did it anyway.”
When asked if any aspects of the experience were different from her expectations, West said she was surprised by the gratitude displayed by the locals they helped.
“A lot of them were moved to tears, and I didn’t think we were making that much of an impact,” she said. “ … I realized afterwards this was something that was really stressing them out because their homes were partially ruined from the hurricane, and us just coming and helping out for a few hours made such a big impact on their lives.”
Collegedale Editor Elsie Pak contributed to this story.
