Updated at 8 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 9.
With at least 15 people dead, 1 million homes still without power, and extensive flooding and property damage from Florida to North Carolina, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries have been reaching out to their communities after the conclusion of the Jewish Sabbath to assess the kind of assistance that will be needed when the storm peters out for good.
As soon as evacuations were ordered on Thursday and Friday, Chabad shluchim stepped in to act, some utilizing every square inch of unused space to provide a portal in the storm. Others prepared special Shabbat meals that were delivered in advance of the hurricane. Even emissaries under mandatory evacuation did their best to keep in touch with friends and neighbors.
After killing more than 900 people in Haiti and causing widespread damage in the Bahamas, the storm moved up the Florida and Georgia coasts on Friday, causing six deaths but remaining far enough offshore to avoid similarly catastrophic devastation there.
The hurricane made landfall in South Carolina on Saturday morning as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to weaken further and turn into a post-tropical storm.
Despite the storm’s weakening, the National Hurricane Center warned of “strong winds and dangerous storm surges” along the South and North Carolina coasts, as well as “heavy rains and gusty winds spreading inland.”
North Carolina recorded three storm-related deaths—one due to hydroplaning and two after a vehicle was submerged in floodwaters. There were dozens of water rescues across central and southern North Carolina as roads flooded and homes became inundated with water. As heavy rains continued to pound the state, a state of emergency was declared in Durham County shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday, and the state announced evacuations near dams that were close to failure.
Catastrophe Averted for Some
In Daytona, Fla., which was set to take a direct a hit from the storm, a slightly eastward path pushed the worst of the winds into the Atlantic Ocean, and spared the city the crushing storm surge and flooding that had been predicted.
Rabbi Pinchus Ezagui, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona with his wife, Chanie, reported that several people in his community lost their businesses from storm-related damage, and others have damage to their homes and property from flooding and fallen trees. The Chabad House, the rabbi adds, will need minor roof repair and the electricity is still out, though he is hopeful that it will be back on Tuesday night for the start of Yom Kippur.
Overall, though, he continues, “everyone is fine, thank G‑d.”
It was much the same further north in Jacksonville, where Rabbi Shmuel and Chana Novack, co-directors of Chabad of Southside, watched huge pine trees outside of their home “swing wildly to and fro.”
“The storm was serious—some say the most severe to threaten this area in 118 years, but it must be noted that the impact was not nearly what the models initially forecast,” says Novack. “Had this storm veered even slightly westward, there is no telling what catastrophic damage would have been inflicted.”
According to the rabbi, the awning at the Chabad House is torn, but other damage was limited in his area. He adds that there was erosion to the beach and substantial local flooding.
Though states of emergency were declared in parts of North Carolina, many of the emissaries there say they and their communities seem to have remained in good shape, though some, like the Chabad of Cary, N.C., were without power late Saturday evening.
Comfort During a Terrifying Ordeal
On Friday, Rabbi Egazui was experiencing the worst of the storm when reached by phone.
“It’s been quite interesting; you’re reaching me at the height and midst of the storm. It s very windy and rainy. Trees are falling, things are breaking and flying around outside,” he says, noting that he was using a generator to help keep some lights on since power was out throughout the city. “Hopefully, the abeshiter, G‑d, will make sure that nobody gets hurt or loses property.”
A veteran (of sorts) of hurricanes—having been in Florida since 1990, through six or seven storms over the years—the rabbi had been trying to calm the nerves of newer community members.
“Young couples are very nervous. They keep texting: ‘Rabbi, what should I do?’ I am here to calm them down,” says Ezagui. “They have been texting in the middle of the night, and I get it—the wind is scary, the noises are scary, and they want a little support and comfort. I am giving them the best advice I can based on my experience.”
Though was curfew is in effect until 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, the rabbi was hoping that things would return to normal quickly. Meanwhile, gas and food shortages continued to be widespread, and power lines were down everywhere.
“G‑d willing, we will be able to open the Chabad House or at least have a minyan in my house. I’m sure that 40 to 50 people will show up for davening. If there’s a minyan, they will come.”
“All of this is weather-permitting, of course,” he adds. “If it is not safe, I will not encourage anyone. If the storm passes and tomorrow is OK, people will come to our house for food, air-conditioning, even something for a l’chayim. It’s Shabbat Shuva [Shabbat of Repentance], and a farbrengen will go on.”
Care Packages for Shabbat
Somewhat inland, the emissaries from Chabad of South Orlando were trying to assist tourists who found themselves stuck during the storm. They were also reaching out to residents who needed power for medical equipment and had plans to help evacuate those residents to the Chabad House, if necessary, which had power thanks to a generator.
In Gainesville—also inland and spared from the worst of the storm—Rabbi Berl Goldman, his wife Chanie, and Rabbi Aharon and Pessie Notik at Lubavitch Chabad Jewish Center at the University of Florida were preparing to welcome several hundred students for Shabbat dinner.
The emissaries were also providing a makeshift shelter for students who wanted a friendly place to ride out the storm. “There are a bunch of students sleeping in the library and other places around the house,” notes Goldman.
Further north, in Jacksonville, where the worst of Matthew’s effects was predicted for Friday evening, Rabbi Shmuel and Chana Novack recruited students from the nearby University of North Florida in Jacksonville to help prepare Shabbat food packages on Thursday.
Though three Chabad Houses in the area were evacuated because of fears that storm surge would cause substantial damage, the Novacks were able to remain in their home, which was not under evacuation orders.
“We were debating whether to host our weekly Shabbat dinner to dozens of college students, but when it was reported that the storm will peak on Friday evening, we decided to make other plans, as it will be unsafe to venture out,” he says.
So instead, the rabbi gathered up some volunteers and made dozens of care packages, complete with Shabbat candles, fresh-baked challah, chicken with gravy and rice pilaf, pasta with pesto, Moroccan machbucha salad and honey cake.
“We want to make sure that, especially during this trying time, students and others will have a Shabbat experience,” said Novack, noting that he remains in touch with students and will spend Shabbat with his family hunkered down as the storm moves north.
At the end of the day, Rabbi Ezagui suggested that people remember that there is a greater power at work. “You can’t get nervous about this. You need to relax and remember that G‑d is running the show. That’s what can calm you. He knows you are out there.
“You do what you can to do,” he advises. “And the rest, leave up to G‑d.”
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