They’ve been called superheroes, angels, miracles and blessings.
But, clad in their distinctive yellow shirts, they are more specifically called Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs)—here to help the neighborhood, most of which has lost power in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Helene was the strongest hurricane to hit the Big Bend area of Florida with more than 200 fatalities to date. Millions more in the Southeastern United States were left homeless, flooded out or without power. Sixty-one Florida counties were placed under a state of emergency.
One of those counties, Pinellas, has been blessed with the presence of the VMs—nearly 400 strong—helping over 1,100 souls in communities impacted by the storm.
Delivering bags of ice, along with water, food, supplies and help to the victims, the VMs are following in a 50-year tradition started by L. Ron Hubbard—a tradition centered around the motto: “Something can be done about it.”
“I can’t believe how much you’re helping with your own two hands.”
The hurricane struck on September 26. By first light of the following day, the VMs had mustered and spread through Pinellas’ many neighborhoods. They distributed food and helped residents clear out their flooded homes in Greenwood, East Gateway, Curlew Landings, Treasure Island and Redington Shores. They cleaned up the Seminole Boat Ramp at the request of local law enforcement. They scoured the famous Pinellas Trail, sweeping out debris and making it usable once more. And, working alongside the Florida National Guard and with local leaders like the pastor of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, the VMs were an omnipresent force for good in the stricken community.
Community members—many left desperate and helpless—were more than grateful.
“I felt so alone and I am so relieved you came to help me,” one survivor told the VMs assisting him. “I was completely overwhelmed. Some of my friends called and asked what I needed, but you didn’t call or wait. You just showed up and got to work. You guys are amazing.”
No electricity in Pinellas County in September can be fatal: Not only does the food in the useless refrigerator now spoil, but in 90-degree-plus Florida heat and sky-high humidity—with no fan or A/C—life is untenable. One Helene victim who was left without power after her house flooded was on her own, with a husband bedridden from recent surgery. VMs responded immediately, moving heavy furniture, putting her possessions back in place and cleaning up. “You guys are too much,” her husband told them. “I can’t believe how much you’re helping with your own two hands. I really admire what you are doing.”
A woman sat on her porch crying a short distance away. When the VMs approached, she told them to leave—that nothing could be done and everything was ruined. A VM sat down beside her and persuaded her to let them help clean out the house. The team took out the trash, aired out the space, cleaned the kitchen and removed damaged furniture. “I had lost hope, but now I see that something can be done to improve all this destruction,” she told the VMs as they were wrapping up. “I am okay now. I’ll take it from here. You carry on and help the others. God bless you all.”
When VMs came upon a flooded house belonging to an elderly woman, they disposed of destroyed property, mopped up her kitchen and bathroom, and removed debris from her yard. As they prepared to leave, the woman wept with joy. She said that the last time she was able to show emotion was when her son died, but she was so touched by the unconditional help the VMs offered that she was able to cry again now for the first time.
Available at a moment’s notice, the Volunteer Ministers have grown to an international independent relief force thanks to the inspiration of Scientology ecclesiastical leader David Miscavige. VMs collaborate with some 1,000 organizations and agencies around the world to provide support, supplies and spiritual comfort at hundreds of disaster epicenters.
Though the people of Pinellas County have been calling them superheroes, angels, miracles and blessings, what they really are is simply people—hundreds of thousands around the world—who help effectively and with compassion, whenever and wherever needed.
As L. Ron Hubbard wrote: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”
According to survivors of Hurricane Helene, that’s enough to check the boxes and qualify as “superhero-angel-miracle-blessings.”
