MODERN-DAY NEHEMIAHS: DALE MOLES

MOUNTAIN CITY — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief stepped in with bridge repair and swift water rescue operations after Hurricane Helene destroyed thousands of private bridges and driveways across Tennessee, leaving families stranded on their own property.

Leading both efforts is Dale Moles, a 70-year-old retired concrete plant owner from Mooresburg who jokes, “I still think I’m only 40.”

Don Owen, director of God’s Warehouse Ministries with the Nolachucky Baptist Association, recalls the moment Moles stepped up to lead the bridge restoration effort.

“In assessing the massive level of damage left by Hurricane Helene’s destructive flooding, it became apparent early on that many families had lost access to their homes because of road and driveway damage, as well as the many bridges that had been damaged or completely washed away,” Owen said.

During their first assessment visit, Moles made a simple observation: “We need to help these people rebuild their roads, driveways and bridges.”

Owen’s response was equally direct: “Do you want to form and lead the team?”

“Without a second thought he replied, ‘Sure,’” Owen recalled.

Building bridges

From that conversation, Moles quickly assembled a team of volunteers (mostly retired men from across the state) and set up operations at the Mountain City airport. To date, they have completed 82 large projects across the five-county affected region.

“Their motivation is just love to help people, and most of us are retired, so we’ve got time to do this,” Moles said. “It’s something we enjoy doing.”

The rebuilding process varies depending on location and span requirements. For shorter spans, the team typically lays a foundation of telephone poles topped with pressure-treated lumber, secured with hundreds of lag bolts.

For longer spans, more creative solutions are needed. On one project spanning a river in Hampton, the team welded two flatbed trailers together, transported them 83 miles on a semi-truck, positioned them on concrete blocks using a crane, and added flooring.

Currently, Moles’ team is working on bridges in Mountain City, including one requiring a 90- to 100-foot span across a stream where one family has been waiting a year for stable access to their home.

“What we’re working on now, we have to have help because we’re looking at a 90- to 100-foot span across the stream,” Moles said. “Well, I don’t really have the capabilities of doing that, so that’s when we start getting help from different sources and working together with them to make it happen.”

The solution involves placing railroad cars across the span and adding flooring.

These bridges are built using donations from Tennessee Baptist supporters. The Mountain Ways Foundation provided a $233,000 grant designated specifically for Johnson County, where most of the work has occurred. Additional grants came from the Tennessee Baptist Foundation and East Tennessee Foundation.

Initially, Moles donated much of the equipment from his former business (he owned three ready-mix concrete plants and a rock quarry). Now, grant money funds subcontractors as the operation expands.

Swift water rescue

Though Moles has worked with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief for about 10 years, including swift water rescue operations since Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Helene presented unique challenges.

“We do about two or three [training sessions] a year and just try to be prepared,” Moles said. “We never thought a hurricane was coming to Tennessee, so we weren’t exactly [prepared for] that. Most of what we get is somebody fell out of a boat and they’re hanging on a branch somewhere down the river or something like that.”

When Helene struck last year, Moles was out of town but cut his trip short after receiving multiple emergency calls. By the time he returned, floodwaters had receded, allowing his team to conduct victim searches and begin assessing recovery needs.

The swift water rescue team now has access to a new raft boat through God’s Warehouse for future emergency responses.

A heart for service

“There aren’t many people like Dale Moles,” said Owen. “Whose heart is constantly seeking to help people in times of great need and who gives without asking anything in return.

“The Nolachucky Baptist Association, God’s Warehouse Ministries and the TBMB has been blessed to have him as a member and leader in the work of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief.”

Despite the physical demands and logistical challenges, Moles finds deep satisfaction in the work.

“It’s hard to pinpoint [a favorite project] when all of them have been such a good relationship with the people once they figured out what we’re doing,” he said. “And we’re doing it because of the love for people. It’s really hard to pick just one in particular because every one of them has been a blessing.”

But the gratitude from families also drives the team forward.

“Everybody’s been so appreciative,” Moles said. “When we get done, we get the smiles, we get the thank yous and teary eyes sometimes.”

The broader disaster relief effort continues. Donations and supplies continue to pour into TBDR and God’s Warehouse in Elizabethton for ongoing home repairs.

“It’s just dedication and trying to do things that please the Lord,” Moles said. “We just have so many people that’s dedicated to get us funding … and it just keeps going on and on.” B&R