Area residents help with hurricane damage
Staff writer
A Newton woman who grew up in Peabody has organized a truckload of disaster relief supplies to be driven to North Carolina to help people devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Traylee Pickens arranged help from Grace Community Church in Newton and put out a call for supplies Oct. 2.
Supplies included hygiene and health items, food and water, bedding, hardware and home improvement, baby supplies, clothing, cleaning supplies and pet supplies.
Items were collected through Sunday at the church and at Coneburg Grill and Pub.
The truck departed Monday.
Residents of nine states are reeling from the Hurricane. As of Monday, the death toll was 227.
Some churches in Marion County are preparing to send volunteer disaster workers.
Other disaster workers already are on the ground in the devastated areas.
Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church will deploy disaster relief volunteers from Kansas and Nebraska to South Carolina this weekend. They expect to stay a week.
Holly Tapley, conference disaster response coordinator, said final numbers for volunteers were not yet in. Volunteers can sign up through Friday.
They will gather in Topeka and Wichita and leave from there, joining up along the way and stopping at night in the same locations.
The planned travel route is subject to change, especially as the workers get closer to the target area and road conditions must be assessed.
“We could be told a road is open, and it’s not,” Tapley said. “Or a road can be open but to passenger cars only.”
Workers have to be flexible about travel, she said.
“This storm caused really astronomical infrastructure damage all the way down,” Tapley said. “They’re using horseback to get into some of the mountainous areas now, and it will continue to be that way.”
Much of the area is still under water and can’t be assessed yet, she said.
“I won’t even be surprised if we get diverted to Georgia,” Tapley said.
Tapley said it’s likely the conference will plan a later trip as well.
“I’m anticipating several trips,” she said.
Mennonite Disaster Service volunteers already are working in western North Carolina.
Cleo Koop of Mennonite Disaster Service Kansas Unit said invitations to help just went out to Kansas churches.
“I don’t yet know how many from this area will go,” Koop said.
Mennonites are removing debris, mud, and downed trees and MDS is accepting donations for the recovery effort.
Donations can be mailed to Mennonite Disaster Service, 583 Airport Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Write “Hurricane Helene” on the memo line.