Volunteers help victims of Hurricane Florence

NEW HANOVER AND PENDER COUNTIES (WWAY) — Though Florence hit North Carolina more than two years ago, many like Cynthia Henry in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow counties are still living with the destruction.

“It was not safe. I was terrified of a fire every night.”

After the storm, the damage was so bad, Henry could only live in her bedroom:

“There was extension cords everywhere. The roof was leaking really badly. So it was puddles of water everywhere.”

She lived like that for a year and a half, until Saturday. This weekend, several local non-profits, churches, businesses, and volunteers like Josh Rammel fixed hurricane damaged houses.

“The further we get from the hurricane,” Rammel explained, “the more people don’t remember that Hurricane Florence happened. That, there’s still a lot of people that are affected, that are, who don’t want to fall through the cracks.”

And many feel they have. That it, until help arrived from Habitat for Humanity and Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, or “WARM”.

One homeowner, Tenney Graham says, “It’s a blessing to have out these people like this to come out and help other people…that they don’t even know.”

Volunteers like Nikki Quick say the work is rewarding.

“I love what I do,” Quick says. “At the end of the day, you know I can go home and feel good about what I’ve done. And I think that that is probably the best blessing I have.”

These organizations can always use more workers and volunteers to help people like Cynthia Henry finally go home…maybe even in time for Thanksgiving:

“Oh, I just can’t wait! I mean, to have my family here, I mean I just can’t wait to be able to start traditions, you know, again.”

Traditions made possible by volunteers who understand there’s no place like home.