Volunteers clean up churches on Longboat after Hurricane Helene

Sarasota resident Jackie Ward was helping a friend when she realized how hard Longboat Key was hit during Hurricane Helene. 

While going to check on her friend's house at Spanish Main Yacht Club, she drove by the tall piles of sand on the side of Gulf of Mexico Drive and saw people's belongings scattered in their driveways after being damaged by the hurricane. It also didn't help that she had to sit in an hour and a half of traffic to get onto the Key. 

When she confirmed that her friend's house was not damaged, Ward stopped by other people's houses to offer her help cleaning up. Feeling sorrow, she asked if there was anywhere else she could volunteer on the island. People sent her to Longboat Island Chapel.

"I didn't know Longboat was hit this bad, so I wanted to help in any way I could," said Ward. "It is just terrible the amount of damage that happened to the Chapel and other places around here too. I'm happy that I could help, even if it is for a few days."

Members of Longboat congregations or community members just like Ward have bonded together to help clean up the island after the immense damage it received from Hurricane Helene.

At the Longboat Island Chapel, the Lord's Warehouse received 4 feet of flooding, destroying everything on the floor and bottom shelves. The main Chapel building received 18 inches to 2 feet of water throughout the building. Its garden was also destroyed.

After assessing the damage, the Rev. Brock Patterson knew the community would come to their aid to help clean before getting professionals in for other repairs.

Volunteers started working on Tuesday and worked the rest of the week. They cleaned the floors, packed up the Lord's Warehouse, set up worship services in the fellowship hall and ripped the carpet from the sanctuary floor. Patterson said the damage thankfully won't hinder the renovations.

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church will be live-streaming its services for the next few weeks. Volunteers spent Tuesday packing up everything on the bottom shelves that they could salvage after flooding ruined the floors.

St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, All Angels By The Sea Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Israel were up and running normally on Oct. 1 with minimal damage. Services will continue as normal. 

Christ Church of Longboat Key only had damage to the bottom floor of its office building. Until it is repaired, the Rev. Julia Piermont and her volunteers packed up and set up the offices in the main church building. 

Due to the effects of Hurricane Helene, Piermont saw this as an opportunity to build fellowship with other congregations in the area. Christ Church members have attended services at Kirkwood Church on Cortez Road for the past two Sundays. 

"We are so grateful to everyone who has been helping," said Piermont. "Like our organist, Chris, drove from Brandon with two guys to help us clean up. They are coming from everywhere. Also, being able to make new friends at Kirkwood. Thankfully, that has been a positive."