By Julieann Jones | Grants Associate
Hello Donors!
Last time we provided an update, we were preparing to wind down our response program in North Carolina. Over the course of this three month response period, a wonderful group of hardworking staff and volunteers successfully completed work on 150 homes, serving 390 individuals impacted by Hurricane Florence. The generous support we received from GlobalGiving, and their supporters like you, have made so much of this possible as it allowed us to mobilize 285 compassionate volunteers into the New Bern, Craven, Pamlico, and Jones County areas. Here, our teams and volunteers worked eight hours a day, six days a week, to address the critical needs of families struggling to recover from the storm. Linked below, you’ll find a blog article sharing the story of Marianna Mack (a volunteer turned All Hands and Hearts Assessor), who did an amazing job helping us find the families that we could ultimately help in our North Carolina service areas.
We are excited to now share with you that recovery efforts, or “phase two” of the work All Hands and Hearts does, began officially on January 7th, 2019! Even as the temperatures dropped, our volunteers and staff bundled up so they could keep on going! Currently, our teams are pivoting on a transition point of work (simply because a number of homes still require work related to water damage and mold removal). Still, teams remain flexible - adapting their day of work to fit the needs of each homeowner. When possible, teams are conducting “finishing” work. This might mean adding insulation and drywall to homes so they are comfortable in the cold, spackling and painting, or even adding new cabinets and flooring.
A great example of what happens at this “pivot” point has taken place at the home of one of our beneficiaries in the New Bern area. His home was not only damaged by flood waters that rose four feet high, but also by fire and smoke damage that happened when the floodwaters shorted out his electric wheelchair. Thankfully, he was not in the home at the time. Our teams have worked on his home since the fall, clearing out the water and smoke damaged debris and building materials. Once recovery began, our teams returned to make critical and cosmetic repairs. His home has since been finished! One of our site supervisors tells us, “A few days before finishing his home, we knew we were helping him feel like his house was a home again because he had put the salt & pepper shakers back on his kitchen table”.
We are so happy that we have been able to work with the amazing and resilient people of North Carolina since Hurricane Florence first struck. Thank you for supporting this project from the beginning, and we hope you’ll join us as we keep on going!
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