Indianapolis, Louisville Team Help
Storm Survivors in Helene Aftermath
‘The only true gift is a portion of thyself’
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Volunteers from SealMaster/Indianapolis and Louisville helped local volunteers and members of Brushy Fork Baptist Church carry and erect three newly built crosses that replaced crosses lost in a massive mudslide on the hillside above the church.
This week seems the perfect time to share a story that reflects humanity at its best and embodies the true spirit of giving. Take a peek into the two-week journey a SealMaster/Indianapolis and Kentucky team took to help those affected after torrential rains from Hurricane Helene flooded the Boone area of North Carolina.
Volunteers included SealMaster Owner Jake Bernath, Chad Denison, and Josh Parker, who each stayed two weeks; and Caleb Bernath, John Gabauer, Austin Lyles, Greg Musgrave, Kevin Sutter, and Cain Loudermilk, who alternated one-week stretches.
The plan to help North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene was hatched by Chad Denison, SealMaster/Indianapolis and Louisville vice president. After confirming with local N. C. military friends that government response was lacking in heavily impacted communities—as he’d seen on the news–Chad called Jake on Friday morning, Oct. 4, to say he was heading there to help.
Jake was on board with recruits within a few hours. When the initial team of six was assembled, everyone went into action loading trailers with heavy equipment, 700 gallons of diesel fuel, tents, cots, and enough provisions to be self-sufficient for two weeks.
Helping community members and fellow volunteers every day, the SealMaster Samaritans included four mechanics, a welder, an electrician and a level-one first responder. The pastor offered a Sunday school room to place their cots, and access to a shower. On their second full day there, they attended service and were introduced to the Brushy Fork congregation. The pastor asked those in need to submit requests for aid. The men worked tirelessly to fulfill them, then scouted out other projects where they would put their skills and equipment to work.
Brushy Fork Baptist Church served as hub for receiving and distributing donated items, hot meals, and providing service to people in need. The volunteer team received a list of projects every day after attending a service the first Sunday of their arrival.
Iona Jones: Grateful for my heroes, the “Indiana Boys” from SealMaster Indiana and Kentucky who brought their heavy equipment, big hearts, and bright spirits to work 12+hr days rescuing people in my neighborhood, repairing massive land damages, clearing fallen trees, hauled 4 large dump truck loads worth of river mud off of my property, removed a 250-gallon kerosene tank, and fixed my concrete pathway that had buckled and broken in the flood waters.
Volunteers from SealMaster/Indianapolis and Louisville encountered a crew from a municipal customer who also traveled from Kentucky to the region to help. They worked with a local quarry to rebuild a driveway for a man who couldn’t leave his home for surgery he needed.
The SealMaster crew tarped a roof for an elderly woman who lived alone, high up on a remote hill, and later in their trip visited her one evening with pizza and companionship. They also spent time clearing trees from roads and properties, removing heavy debris, hauling away mud, and providing a host of other services around Boone, N.C.
The team shared meals with local volunteers and met fellow volunteers who came from all parts of the country. Both Jake and Chad felt profound spiritual impact as the team worked sunup to sundown every day among grateful survivors who also pitched in. “I’ve never been on a church mission trip, but that’s what it felt like,” Jake says. Chad notes everyone was humbled by the people they served and the impact they made. Witnessing everyone who came together help their fellow Americans, he also said his faith in humanity and the unity of the country was renewed.
Jake, Chad and their families reunited with members of the church, meeting at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky a few weeks after they returned to Indianapolis. The church had planned the trip before the floods hit.