If you have seen the local news, you have seen the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene that struck the Florida Panhandle; parts of Georgia, South, North Carolina, and even Virginia and Tennessee suffered damage and loss. IFA spoke with pastors from Asheville, North Carolina, an area that was significantly impacted. Your intercession is necessary as they are still searching, rescuing, and attempting to get resources for those who have lost everything. As the church, we weep with those who weep and bear one another’s burdens (see Romans 12:15, Galatians 6:2).

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Pastor Nathan Hawkins serves Trinity Baptist Church, located in the heart of Asheville. The church has been hosting six National Guard task force units, providing food and a place to sleep in the church’s sanctuary and student buildings. 

He asked us to pray for Asheville, which has been changed forever. “Some communities have been wiped away. It could take months to pick up and recover; we are taking it an hour at a time,” he said. 

“To see the church stepping up is an answer to prayer. Pray for the community, churches, and staff; they work 24/7. The response from churches has been overwhelming. North, South Carolina, and Tennessee churches are working to help the community,” Pastor Nathan said. 

Many people are still missing, and several thousand are still without power. The only reports come from those with boots on the ground. “This was the worst storm we have ever seen. It came so quickly. One area saw 44 inches of rain with no land to soak it up. This is the biggest crisis North Carolina has ever seen. State records have called it a ‘once in a 5000-year storm,’” Pastor Fred Daniel Jr. told IFA. He lives about three hours away from the center of activity in North Carolina.

Many interstates have been washed out, and some have seen mudslides. Some people are trapped by road closures and washed-out roads. This weekend in the Asheville area, a deputy and his team stood on the French Broad River Bank and counted 80 bodies go by. Their order was to record the coordinates so someone could retrieve them but to continue the search and rescue the living. While the death toll is in the hundreds, it is feared that number could be in the thousands due to mountain communities washed out. 

Some regions have electricity, and others do not. Clean water is also an issue. Pastor Daniels described various ways the community is coming together to help. Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is using his diesel truck and trailer to bring truckloads of supplies. An independent Baptist preacher in Asheville is drilling wells on his property to provide water to the city. 

A search and rescue team was going up a trail when they heard muffled screams. After hours of clearing the way, they saw a house toppled under piles of mud. They listened to the voices and were able to rescue six people. Two parents and four children were trapped in the mud. Though there are many still missing, it was one miracle story. 

North Carolina State Representative Neal Jackson described the aftermath as an absolute mess. “It looks like a bomb went off,” he said. The greatest obstacle is the lack of power and cell phone service. The Viper towers EMS uses are out, and the roads are gone. The fibers under the streets for the telephone are gone. Verizon brought temporary towers, but due to the broken fibers, they won’t work. We have to reset and rebuild the whole grid. We have seen rivers full of furniture, 18-wheelers swept away, and bodies in the trees that we have not recovered yet,” he said.

“We have drop-off points. People travel to try and bring food and water to those in need. Those who have traveled North said it looks like a third-world country.” Rep. Jackson said, “This is our Haiti.” Some parts suffered terribly, while some weren’t as affected. But he points out, “The church has risen up. It’s not the woke people cutting trees and helping; it’s the church.”

Prayer Requests from the Pastors

The National Guard has been busy providing help. One hundred fifty are sleeping in church sanctuaries. They and EMTs are cutting trees that are blocking roadways with chainsaws. Their boots have been destroyed after only three to four days of working to clear roads and in the mud. They need military-grade safety boots to continue the work. Refrigerators and freezers needed to store food are critical for Asheville. Also, many still need water. Pray for the National Guard.

Pray for God to make a way to rescue the living who are missing.

Pray that there will be no delay in resources getting to where they are most needed. 

Pray for the financial and security needs of the people. Pray for the funds to come in quickly.

Pray that communication is restored.

After what they have seen, the young deputies rescuing people’s hearts are heavy. Pray for the first responders and teams conducting the search and rescue efforts. Pray for peace and strength as they continue. 

Asheville and surrounding cities in North Carolina anticipate what’s coming next, as all the flood waters will end up in the eastern part of the state. Pray for the protection of these people. 

Pastor Fred reported that 600 deputies have come to maintain order and keep people from looting. Pray for shalom over North Carolina, the peace of God that destroys chaos.

Pray for the salvation of the lost, desperate, and fearful; let them see the love of God through the churches that have banded together to help. Pray God would turn their hearts to see their need for him through this disaster. 

“There has been some improvement in six days. Continue to pray that, as a community, we heal, and that going toward the elections, we will be more resilient than ever. More than ever, we would see a change in our country,” Pastor Nathan said. 

“Linemen and power companies from all over the country are trying to restore power,” the Pastor Nathan told IFA. “Without power, we can’t have elections, but we believe there is nothing impossible for God,” he said.  Pray for power and phone service to be restored. 

There is much work to be done. Pray for more laborers to help the efforts already in place.

Some people have lost everything. 126,000 people in affected counties have been relocated to shelters. They need the Lord and need help rebuilding. Pray for those who the hurricane has displaced.

Pray for the church to be Jesus’ hands and feet during this difficult time. 

The Hurricane Damage Is Threatening the Election

A pastor in western North Carolina stated that voting sites are all gone. Churches, schools, and communities are filled with trash and mud. The USPS has suspended its work since many roads are closed, meaning mail-in ballots are not an option. North Carolina is a battleground state. It has the largest rural vote in America. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Time is critical. 

Why pray? North Carolina could swing the election. Representative Jackson suggested setting up mobile precincts so people won’t have to travel so far. However, people are more concerned about not having electricity, water, and supplies. 

Here is a link to NCSBE that gives some information on absentee ballots specific to Hurrican Helene: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/helene-recovery-and-voting  Share the link or send out notifications on how they can vote and encourage people to spread the word within the state to displaced people. We must all attempt to solve the voting problems in one of our key swing states.   

Here are some helpful instructions from My Faith Votes:

• If you are displaced, you can request an absentee ballot to be delivered to your new location.
• If you have already requested an absentee ballot and need it sent to a new location, contact your county board of elections to spoil your current ballot and reissue a ballot to your new location. Request an absentee ballot online at the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal<https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home>.

If you want to help Christian workers doing good work on the ground, check out Samaritan’s Purse, Trinity Baptist Church, Ambassador Baptist College, and CityServe. Please continue to pray for everyone affected.

Father, You are the God of all flesh; nothing is too hard for You. You are the God of all comfort, who is near to the brokenhearted. Lord, we stand in the gap for North Carolina and every state damaged by Helene. We ask for a miracle because we recognize You as the source of everything we need. We pray for miraculous giving, supplies to reach the people still trapped, and even for power, water, and telephone service to be restored quickly. Refresh and revive those working tirelessly to help the communities, including the first responders. In a time of greatest darkness, let Your light shine. We pray for the salvation of those who do not know You. Let them see the love of God demonstrated through the churches and believers working together to help the community. Do what only You can do, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Here from IFA intercessors Mike and Leslea Fargnoli on IFA’s First Friday Prayer Conference Call. Leslea and Mike live outside of Asheville. They have prayed all over the world with many organizations. Leslea sensed the Lord say, “The revival you have been praying for . . . this is it.” Don’t miss praying with them–you will be encouraged and strengthened.

Please share this article with a praying friend!

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast. Photo Credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images.