Hurricane Florence recovery summit brings survivors together

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s been four months since Florence hit North Carolina, but a lot of people are still recovering. Just Florence Recovery Coalition held a summit Saturday to help people who are still struggling.

Survivors gathered at the Coastline Convention Center to reflect on the aftermath of Florence. A majority of them came to talk about recovery efforts and how to prepare for the future.

“We’re offering free food. We’re offering childcare. We provided transportation for several people, and so we’ve also brought in resources that they can get information from so that they can connect with legal aid,” said Ashley Daniels, an organizer of the Just Florence Recovery Survivors Summit. “So they can connect with housing information and mental health services. It’s a summit, but it’s also a resource for people.”

People like Barry Frazier Jr. had the chance to also share their stories.

“I was working as a driver delivering voter registrations, and when the hurricane hit, we switched gears and started doing hurricane relief. During hurricane relief I was exposed to different areas of North Carolina that were hard hit. I just really enjoyed being part of the help recovery process,” said Frazier, who is a survivor.

Guest survivors from other natural disasters joined remotely to share their stories and strategize on how to take preventative measures in the future.

Just Florence Recovery Coalition is on a quest to make sure that everyone who is still recovering gets what they need, and that nobody gets left behind.