Volunteers flock to Augusta to help with storm cleanup
By Tracey McManus, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried out.
The day before, most of her yard on
But the job was still too much for the three.
Feeling defeated, Gillion-Martin went to dinner at Rhinehart's Oyster Bar with her friend. Two volunteers with Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization made up of veterans and first responders, sat next to them. They struck up a conversation, and Gillion-Martin learned the crew had volunteers from as far away as
For free.
As promised, they were there at
"I have whole lot of angels in my yard right now," Gillion-Martin said, watching volunteers remove tree limbs from her roof. "If it weren't for them, I have absolutely truly no idea what I would have done."
Since the storm pummeled
Its
"When there's a disaster we start having conference calls as soon as somebody requests help and start dispatching out," Yoder said. "Our priority is the indigent, those with no insurance, the elderly, but we help anyone in need."
Local emergency preparedness officials and the
About 25 volunteers arrived with Team Rubicon on Friday and already have clocked 700 work hours, said public information officer
The crew has helped remove trees from yards, piled debris on curbs for pickup and even intervened when an 86-year-old woman was found on her roof trying to patch a hole.
"A lot of these people don't have money to buy the tools to do the work or they just can't physically do it," said
More than 200 volunteers with the
The church's
His church's volunteers assisted cleanup at more than 150 homes over the weekend, but Squires said he needs more volunteers to resume the efforts Saturday.
"When disaster strikes, the church is usually one of the first responders because we have people we can mobilize," he said. "The government comes in and does big jobs like clearing the roads and establishing order, but it really requires volunteer organizations to help individual homeowners."
About 12 volunteers with Georgia VOAD group Unworthy Servants arrived from
Volunteer
He said his volunteers have made contact with everyone from the elderly to those without a chain saw to do the job. But it's his volunteers who often get the most out of the experience.
"It's a great way to express our faith and for us to just love the community," Edwards said.
___
(c)2014 The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.)
Visit The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.) at chronicle.augusta.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 761 |
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News