• Christine Rogers

"No matter what, as soon as we can, we're coming": Help and Healing in Valdosta

The Salvation Army is Providing Emotional and Spiritual Support for Helene Survivors

Valdosta, Georgia: (October 6, 2024)— "No matter what, as soon as we can, we're coming."

Captain Jim Dillingham from the Brunswick, Georgia Salvation Army Corps is on the ground in South Georgia with a team of emotional and spiritual support staff providing comfort to Helene's survivors. Driving into Valdosta as part of the emergency response team, he saw a mobile home split in half from a fallen tree. Downed trees and power lines were everywhere.

"It was like a bomb went off here," he said.  

During a disaster, The Army's first priority is to provide survivors with essentials like food and water. But in times of crisis, Captain Dillingham says people also need words of encouragement."I try to bring the peace and love of Jesus. I can't even imagine what they've been through."

At the Lloyd Greer Valdosta Housing Authority neighborhood, resident Frank Jones was waiting to pick up his lunch at a Salvation Army canteen. He welcomed a hug from Captain Dillingham."A tree went through my house," said Jones. "Another tree badly damaged my car, but I was spared."

"This is an economically downturned neighborhood, and there's been a lot of suffering here," said Captain Dillingham. "Jobs are scarce, and incomes are low. Bills keep rising, and now they're dealing with Helene."

Captain Dillingham knows what it's like to struggle. He found The Army at what he calls the low point of his life. He says he lost his way after serving 23 years as a firefighter and paramedic for Atlanta."After everything I had seen on the job, I began to develop PTSD. I started drinking, and it continued to get worse. I had no direction. I was broken."

After nearly getting arrested one night for vagrancy and public intoxication, a police officer recognized Captain Dillingham as a former first responder and brought him to the Dekalb Crisis Center, where he entered a detox program. He later spent a year at the Atlanta Adult Rehabilitation Center. Soon after finishing the program, Dillingham started working for The Army as a Mission Specialist responsible for outreach and street ministry. "If it wasn't for the Salvation Army and God, there's no telling where I would be today," said Captain Dillingham.

"I love you guys," resident Terrence Williams told Dillingham and the canteen crew as he picked up his lunch. He lost his wallet during the storm and had no cash or bank card. A volunteer at the local Salvation Army, Williams said the Army was able to secure a copy of his ID as part of his volunteer data profile."You are a lifesaver. You are definitely helping me."

As an emotional and spiritual support specialist at a disaster site, I find the work emotionally challenging, and the days are long. Still, Dillingham is quick with a smile and a pat on the back to everyone he encounters. He is proud that The Army can be a source of comfort.

"No matter what, as soon as we can, we're coming," he said."I enjoy coming out and offering a prayer and sharing a little love. I don't know if everybody feels love, but I want to do that and bring hope...we do this because we love it. It's our calling."