By Natalie French | Reporter
Hurricane Helene made its landfall on the east coast and moved northward from Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane.
With over half of Baylor students hailing from out of state, this hurricane affects students beyond the East coast. Its path left destruction in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
According to Baylor’s Office of Missions and Public Life, the university’s “commitment to community extends beyond the classroom and into times of crisis.”
“As Baylor University faculty, staff, and students, we are not equipped to be first responders,” the website reads. “We know that is not our role as members of an educational institution. We are here to serve and support within our abilities and resources. This is our work to do and we are doing something, and we will go when we can.”
Baylor’s disaster relief organization, BearAid, is working to mobilize student volunteers for a trip as soon as January before the spring semester begins, according to Rebecca Kennedy, the assistant dean for missions and public life.
“As of now, BearAid will be supporting Hurricane Helene relief efforts by raising awareness and funding agencies on the front line,” Kennedy said.
Lutz, Fla., sophomore Zach Babajanof-Rustrian said the beaches in St. Petersburg, just 30 minutes away from his hometown, are ruined. He also worked at Camp Ridgecrest in Black Mountain, N.C. and said Black Mountain has seen destruction from the hurricane’s path.
“A lot of people don’t have any resources, and it’s just sad to see a place I grew up going to and a place I worked at destroyed,” Babajanof-Rustrian said.
Kennedy and Babajanof-Rustrian both said it is important for the Baylor community to pray right now, as these impacted communities are processing the loss of their homes and towns.
“Pray that these people whose lives have changed from this devastating storm get the resources that they need,” Babajanof-Rustrian said. “Also pray that they can come together as a community, help rebuild their community and help lift each other up at this time of need.”
According to AP News, this has been one of the worst storms in U.S. history with “a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways.” The current death toll is 227 after the storm “ravaged the Southeast and killed people in six states.”
“I just want people to understand that even though we may not be affected by these storms, other people are,” Babajanof-Rustrian said.
