Volunteers needed: Samaritan's Purse cleaning up after Bertie County tornado

By Joe Fisher, WRAL reporter

Windsor, N.C. — Samaritan’s Purse is cleaning up the neighborhood where a deadly tornado hit, and an organizer says they’re in dire need of volunteers.

At least 10 homes were destroyed and two people were killed early Tuesday morning when a tornado hit a community on Morning Road in the town of Windsor.

On Wednesday, Alyssa Benson from the Boone-based Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse said 10 volunteers were there to help, but the organization needs more hands to salvage personal belongings, clear debris, tarp roofs and remove downed trees.

No experience is needed to work, Benson said. Volunteers will meet daily at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Ross Baptist Church, located at 1020 Bull Hill Road, and go through a brief orientation before they start cleaning up the site.

“We’ll get you prepped and ready and in the field helping families,” Benson said. “We’ll have experienced team leads in the field to help you get along.”

All volunteers will wear masks and gloves.

People interested in helping can call 828-266-5029 or show up at the church.

“We want to just show these families that they are not forgotten, that they are loved by us and by God,” Benson said. “I can’t even imagine going through a COVID pandemic and then also losing your home to a tornado like this so we just want to come alongside them, get back on their feet and remind them that we love them.”