As a Presbyterian Church (USA) synod executive based in Texas and now Florida, Valerie Young is exceedingly familiar with hurricanes. The striking thing about the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton is the breadth of the area severely impacted by the storms.

“The impact has not just been on the shores of Florida, it’s not just been in the mountains of North Carolina,” said Young, Synod Executive and Stated Clerk of Synod of South Atlantic, referencing places that have been in the headlines following the storms. “It has also been in places like Augusta, Georgia. The damage, the impact of those storms is incredible.”

Young was speaking toward the end of her time on a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance solidarity journey to visit mid councils and churches impacted by the storms.

“For me, as the synod leader, it’s incredibly important to demonstrate to people that we care, to show them that we love them and that we are with them through the recovery,” Young said of the journey, which she was on for seven days. “And it’s so important to have PDA here because it’s a demonstration that the entire church cares …sharing the grace and love and their presence.

“PDA’s presence is incredibly important, not just now, but for the long haul. It’s going to be a long recovery, not just the physical, structural recovery, but the spiritual and emotional recovery.” (Rich Copley, Presbyterian News Service)