By M.Z. Thwaite
On October 23, I drove from Beaufort to Augusta, Ga., to join a Disaster Response team from Northside United Methodist Church (NUMC) in Atlanta, the church where I was confirmed eons ago. Downed trees along the way into town hinted at what awaited, but as I neared my destination, Marvin United Methodist Church, on Wheeler Road, I drove into what looked like Augustageddon.
In all directions, ravaged trees had damaged or destroyed homes and crunched vehicles. I located the church where I would meet the Atlanta group early the following morning then I drove to my friend’s home where I would spend the next three nights.
One month ago, after Helene wreaked havoc, I wanted to help. My sister in Atlanta gave me the name of a member of NUMC, Mark Brown, who was heading up a team of relief workers from various churches in Atlanta. Mark began doing disaster relief sometime after Katrina hit Louisiana, and he has built teams of relief workers ever since.
Always receptive to new volunteers, Mark welcomed me to his already trained group. I was puzzled that our start date in Augusta was one month after my initial contact with Mark, but as I drove from Marvin Methodist to Augusta’s historic district, the reason for the delay became obvious. The damage was so extensive that it took weeks to clear roads to allow emergency tree removal equipment ingress and egress.
Driving down Wheeler Road, a main thoroughfare, was like driving through a tunnel, trees piled higher than my car on both sides of the road. Knocked down power lines looped low and lay in the road and gave me a sense of the surreal atmosphere that greeted residents the morning after the storm. That short drive convinced me that my decision to pitch in and help had been a good one. Augusta is our neighbor, and she needs our help.
At 7 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 24, I joined the rest of the team for breakfast at Marvin UMC. We all wore yellow neon T-shirts with a North Georgia Early Response Team emblem and our names on strips of duct tape on the front. Being new to the team, Mark explained the jobs: pullers, cutters, and a fork-lift driver. The crew handled the tasks like a well-oiled machine; by the time we left one home and went on to the next, we’d left a homeowner with a yard he or she could see, and six-foot piles of tree debris on the curb to be picked up later by contractors.
Before we began each yard, Mark introduced the homeowner to our team. Survivors wanted to tell their stories, so we listened. Enid, an Army veteran, cooked Puerto Rican chicken stew, Pollo Guisado, for us. One of her daughters had been awakened when a tree dropped on the roof over her bedroom, and she was covered in sheet rock.
The next-door neighbor, Patrick, huddled with his wife and five children while the storm ravaged the large trees around his property. Another survivor, Connie, told us that she had lost her husband not long ago, so she was alone when the trees started coming down. As Connie helped us drag debris to the curb, she’d tear up and thank us for coming to her aid.
Over three days, we moved trees from at least six homes, and met gratitude, thanks, and prayers at every turn. What kept running through my head once I returned home and was away from all that mayhem was do unto others. You know the rest.
Reverend Scott Parrish, Missions Specialist with the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church stopped by the sites frequently. He shared how he finds those who need help: https://www.crisiscleanup.com. FEMA is removing debris from roads with claw trucks, but FEMA can’t do it all. The demand is overwhelming; volunteers are needed. These are our neighbors, folks. We could be hit the next time, so do what you can this time.
It will take months to handle this cleanup, so don’t think you missed your opportunity in Augusta. Money sent to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) goes to disaster relief. Better yet, gather your able-bodied friends and join a relief team. Your help is needed.
M.Z. Thwaite, author of the Tidewater suspense series, is resident of Beaufort and can be reached at mzthwaite@gmail.com. Her website is www.mzthwaite.com.
