FAYETTEVILLE, NC – As Hurricane Matthew struck their neighborhood, William kept watch as hurricane floodwaters rose. When he and his wife, Barbara, dashed to their vehicle with their dogs to escape, they had no way of knowing the truck would become their home for the next few days.
Each day they found another place to park and sleep for the night, but it took several days for their road to reopen from the flooding. When they parked in the backyard, it was nothing but mud.
Damage From Hurricane Floodwaters
The door of their house was swollen shut from the saturation, and when William was finally able to open it, he was heartbroken. Their furniture had shifted from the waters, their floors were warped and ruined and the walls were soaked.
For days, they waited, hoping help would come. Then, William heard about an organization called Operation Blessing and filled out a form requesting help. The next day, volunteers arrived at his home to find mold crawling the walls and a very thankful elderly couple.
The volunteers got to work removing furniture from the house and sorting through what was left. There were six rooms that had to be emptied in William’s house, and he knew he could not have done it alone.
The volunteers got to work removing furniture from the house and sorting through what was left. Hurricane floodwaters, known as storm surge, do a tremendous amount of destruction. In fact, it is often the flooding that does the most damage after a hurricane. There were six rooms that had to be emptied in William’s house, and he knew he could not have done it alone.
For William, the volunteers are a true blessing.
Hurricane Volunteers From Operation Blessing
Operation Blessing volunteers form the backbone of our hurricane relief efforts. The hurricane relief for Matthew was long and tedious. The generosity and kindness of our partner provided both manpower and donations to help people who had lost their homes.
Learn More About Our Efforts To Help People In Need Of Hurricane Relief
