Church volunteers go from Harvey to Irma
Northland disaster response unit helps
Long before Hurricane Irma stirred fear and loathing in Florida, Longwood real estate agent Doug Woehr got the call to duty.
For four days, the 50-year-old father of two would be part of a disaster response team dispatched by Northland, the Longwood mega-church, to Houston, where he would help feed Hurricane Harvey victims and clean mud and soggy drywall from flooded homes.
The church sent a dozen trained volunteers, $50,000 in donations collected by the congregation and thousands of dollars worth of equipment — only to have to turn around less than a week later and refocus its aid on the aftermath of Irma at home.
“I feel it’s a calling,” Woehr said Tuesday, already volunteering again, even while his own roof had yet to be repaired and his power hadn’t been restored. “You have to trust that God is going to provide when you go to help people in need.”
Northland launched a formal disaster-response unit in 2004, after its ad-hoc disaster crew was pushed to its limits by three Central Florida hurricanes in a single season. About three dozen church members now attend monthly training drills and have helped out following earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and Superstorm Sandy. Scores more help on local projects.
Each time, the church leaders decide whether to provide aid and then put it to the congregation to take up a special collection. The money goes solely to the disaster victims — the church spends other funds on fuel, food and equipment for its volunteers.
Woehr was still in Texas last Thursday when the church called the team home. He drove through the night, stopping to buy plywood for his own house and a neighbor’s. He arrived back about 4:30 a.m. Friday in Longwood, in time to help his family prepare.
On Tuesday, he and his wife were back at Northland, this time helping local homeowners make repairs and evacuees with special needs. With Seminole County schools preparing to reopen, school evacuation shelters had to close, so the church took in anyone who couldn’t yet return home and housed them in a sanctuary. It also set up a hurricane website and call center — northlandchurch.net/ hurricane, 407-949-4000 — for Central Florida residents who either need help or want to volunteer.
Woehr shrugged off his sacrifice.
“My family is safe. That’s all that matters,” he said.
Barbara Gritter, the church’s “director of connections,” smiled and shook her head.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s actually fantastic — and so is his wife,” she said. “Their daughters have volunteered, too. They show up at 5 a.m., and they leave at 10 p.m. They’re amazing.”