Christian Radio Deals with Helene Aftermath
Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the Southeast U.S. and Christian Radio is recovering in many areas. HisAir checked in with stations affected for an update. Please keep them in prayer and they work towards getting back to normal.
Ken Burns Faith Radio Tallahassee – As I write this, our last station that was off the air due to Hurricane Helene just came back on! For a few hours, all 11 of Faith Radio’s stations were off when the hurricane hit. Most came back quickly on Friday and the rest are back up and running. The minor damage we are dealing with is from power surges. Our Eastpoint FL station on the “Forgotten Coast” is running at reduced power until we replace some fried transmitter components, and our main audio console took a hit and needs replacement which should happen over the next couple of weeks. It’s interesting to me, a Florida transplant, that lightning can hit our on-site tower and all we have to do is reboot computers. But despite all our lightning and surge protection, something WILL get fried if we get hit by a hurricane! But thank the Lord, our damage is otherwise minor.
Jonathan Unthank WMIT Asheville – The Light FM in Asheville has had a team at the studios since last Wednesday before the catastrophic storm came through the area. We’ve been able to be a constant source of hope and encouragement for the immediate Asheville area, surrounding NC and SC areas effected, as well as Upper East Tennessee… We are in the thick of it right now as far as caring for our listening family.
Jerry Grimes PAR – WCQR/Johnson City decided to pause its fundraiser to focus on serving its community. Their market was severely affected, with widespread devastation, power outages, and flooding.
The Life FM Greenville – We have power and internet now. Our network stations are on the air but our local Upstate of South Carolina stations are still off the air until the transmitter sites get their power and internet are restored. Many in our area are devastated especially in the North Carolina mountains.
Brian Sumner His Radio Greenville – We are actively sharing information about resources that are available. A large part of the area we cover was hit and parts of those areas devastated. It’s amazing seeing the community come together to collect resources that are so needed. Locally, our main location in Greenville SC, about 60% of our county is still without power. The power company says an estimated 6,000 power poles and hundreds of miles of lines are damaged. It’s been a challenge but we have seen God show up! Thanks for your continued prayers.
John Bryant WAFJ Augusta – When I arrived at the station on Friday morning around 4:30 am, the worst of the storm was about to pass through. We were immediately on the air, providing helpful information to our listeners. We have been live everyday since then continuing to take care of our community. There are so many without power and internet, and all they have is a radio. We are their primary source for information. We are inviting them to text the station with any questions they have about resources and to pass along any information that we should know as well. There is also a resource page on our website. It has been unreal seeing miles-long lines for gas and people wrapped around grocery stores waiting for them to open. This was an unprecedented storm for us, coming through here as a Category 1 hurricane. We aren’t equipped to deal with something that powerful. Thankfully, things are slowly improving, the community is coming together, and we are in a position to be able to serve our listeners. Other radio stations have been off the air, but we have been on the air the whole time thanks to a generator and God’s goodness!
Pam Garrison WKAV Charlottesville, VA – The station stayed on the whole time, our Country station went off for a little bit, but all good. We have had a lot of area flooding, schools closed, but we are very fortunate.
Christian FM/SmartRadio Suite is offering to help stations that have been affected by Hurricane Helene. CFM/SmartRadio Suite will assist stations for free providing music programming, production and or air talent to fill air time at no charge until you can get operations back to normal.
Reach out to Geoff Moore at 800-350-5770 to get the help you need.
Convoy of Hope Senior Director Radio & Donor Engagement Jared Mitchell tells HisAir, “Convoy has processed nearly 60 loads either distributed or deployed across six states. We have secured warehousing in Morganton, NC. In addition, Convoy has secured a primary distribution site in Asheville, NC. Wednesday, will have three different churches working together to distribute supplies to those in need there in Asheville.”
Radio Stations partnering with Convoy of Hope
WAY FM supporting Convoy of Hope online and on-air
K-LOVE partnering during their Fall Pledge Drive to raise funds and awareness for Convoy
KSBJ/Houston partnering online to bring awareness to Disaster relief organizations.
Vida Unida/Miami bringing awareness on-air through interviews with Convoy of Hope
HIS Radio bringing awareness on-air and online. Sharing how to volunteer and support.
WHIF/Palatka bringing awareness for support through on-air, online, and interviews
Christian FM raising funds through Text2Give for Convoy of Hope
Family Life Radio bringing awareness on-air and online.
WAFJ/Augusta raising awareness, encouraging volunteers, and sharing with listeners how to get help.
KSGN/Riverside encouraging financial support on-air.
KLJY/St. Louis Raising awareness and funding for Convoy online and social media.
Stations can get on-air interviews and updates from Ethan Forhetz at (417) 848-8123
