On September 14th 2018, Hurricane Florence hit just outside of Wilmington, North Carolina. This hurricane yielded record breaking damage caused by wind, storm surge, and 18 trillion gallons of water. All Hands and Hearts has been in North Carolina since Sept. 23, performing the immediate clean up activities necessary to stabilize suffering communities. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, this project aims to help 175 families take their first steps toward sustainable recovery.
Once the work of first responders was complete, it became clear that the monumental amount of work needed to clean up and stabilize communities would require coordinated efforts of multiple organizations. In New Bern alone 4,300+ houses were damaged. These homes need a variety of interventions so that families can return home and resume work, school, and regain a sense of normalcy. We are now working in New Bern and assessing where else our services may be needed.
We are experienced in the activities essential for getting families back in homes, and homes ready for repairs, namely: mucking and gutting, mold removal and prevention, chainsaw work to clear roads and properties, and general debris management. By providing our compassionate volunteers with the tools, training, and direct community links that makes this work so meaningful, we foster a process that not only rebuilds structures but also hope for those that need it the most.
The work we do in the first months after a disaster stabilizes families so that they can begin to rebuild and recover. As such our early activities are truly the essential "step one" to a lasting recovery. While some families are restored to livable homes after our clean up assistance, others are given a "clean slate" from which it is possible to begin repairing the damage. Because we serve needs along the full timeline of recovery, we hope to phase into flood repair work by the end of the year.
