Lending a Hand

Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: December 2024

We hike, bike, and we mountain climb. All are given pursuits in this outdoorsy area of Appalachian vistas and lush Blue Ridge valleys.

Yet, to the northeast of us, particularly, the beautiful landscape has been spoiled by an unprecedented amount water that pounded multiple hollers and hillsides and resulted in not only unimaginable numbers of uprooted trees but also the swelling and converging of countless waterways. Whole swaths of forests are downed. Flooding resulted – flooding of biblical proportions. And the violence of roaring waters exploded and disappeared homes, possessions, memories, and lives.

But we can help – and be outdoors getting exercise at the same time. We can, in essence, be boots on the ground, neighbor helping neighbor.

My husband and I were able to see first-hand a few weeks ago how relief organizations have established logistical posts in churches, empty buildings, community centers, and even under tents throughout Western North Carolina. These are check-in places for various organizations overseeing volunteer teams. According to the organizer at one of a dozen or more Baptists on Mission relief and recovery sites throughout the region, where we were volunteering for three days in the Waynesville/Barnardsville area (about an hour and change from the Plateau), people are mostly needed to sign up for a day’s worth of work so that the temporary housing at logistical posts can be provided for out-of-towners.

Individuals simply go onto the relief organization’s website, like Baptists on Mission, Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Blessing, and more to provide information and a date when available to volunteer; the organization will then provide confirmation about the date and details about where and what time to meet and work expectations. Primarily, countless people over many months are needed to work with a volunteer team to clean out affected homes and buildings of mud, materials (paneling, flooring, drywall, etc.), and contents. They are also needed to clean up limbs, trees, and debris from properties.

These logistical posts are where the cleaning supplies and necessary equipment (like shovels, chain saws, Tyvek suits, gloves, etc.) are stored, and they are where volunteers are providing bagged lunches and meals.

While site directors are asking for anyone living two-hours and less from the worst-affected areas to sign up for a day at a time, they are also not discouraging locals from also committing time to serve for several days in a row. If that is the case, the disaster relief organization will accommodate. Volunteers typically must bring their own air mattress or cot and sleeping bag and toiletries/towel, etc., but the relief organization provides meals.

The work is tiring, but extremely rewarding.

One woman, who had just moved into her fully renovated, new furnishings and appliances-apportioned home as a “new start” from her previous home in Texas, stood in her driveway and cried as she watched a group of 12 volunteers become covered in mud so her basement could be cleaned out to dry out. She could “not believe” people would take time to travel there to help her. She also shared her terrifying story of what happened to her the night of September 27: “One minute I was watching the creek rise and the next time I looked out the window a rush of water was encircling my house and pushing up against my front door and windows. I couldn’t get out. I watched trees pulled out of the ground from the rushing water and catapulted through the air. I put my big dog and my two cats on my bed with me. I didn’t expect that I would survive.”

Besides the organizations mentioned here, local churches are establishing volunteer teams; Macon County-located Discover Church, for one, has been providing information on its managed site, ilovemytown.org/.

For individuals who cannot physically volunteer, or cannot afford the time to volunteer, these same organizations and churches require funds to continue purchasing supplies and food for those who are volunteering.

However, the N.C. Extension Office also warned about giving to or working with potential scammers. It recently issued this statement: “Natural disasters often present an opportunity for scammers, who try to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable. Donate only to trusted organizations and be wary of unsolicited requests for money or offers of ‘too good to be true’ deals on services like waste removal or cleanup.”

So, consider getting outside and doing good. Opportunities are ongoing for many, many months. People are homeless and living in tents, sheds, their cars, and with friends, family, and neighbors. The sooner we can assist them with getting salvageable homes cleaned out so they can dry out and be repaired, the sooner they can get beyond the devastation that has upset their lives.

As one volunteer pointed out, “This is not a sprint but a marathon. These (needs) are not going away anytime soon.”