Members rally to help Hurricane Fran victims
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Weeks after Hurricane Fran whipped through North Carolina and Virginia Sept. 5-7, victims are still struggling to recover from the disaster - and Church members are helping them.
On Sept. 20-21, members from the Augusta Georgia Stake traveled to Raleigh North Carolina Stake to clean up and assess damage from the hurricane - in which at least 30 people died and hundreds more were injured when 115-mph winds and blasting rains hit the North Carolina coast before turning inland into Virginia.John Maxwell, second counselor in the Raleigh North Carolina Stake, said the group from the Augusta Stake is one of dozens of Church groups from surrounding communities and states that traveled to assist in the clean-up effort.
"By the time the volunteers (from Georgia) came in, it was no longer an emergency situation," said Pres. Maxwell. "But the magnitude of the work needed to clean up from the storm was such that the hurricane victims just couldn't do it on their own."
Cary Tuckfield, first counselor in the Augusta Georgia Stake, said everyone involved in the cleanup party - in which the men worked clearing and cutting fallen trees and branches - had a "very positive" experience.
Pres. Tuckfield said the volunteers knew what to bring and what to expect, as most had helped clean up previous disasters.
After they finished their work, the men all agreed they were happy to have been able to help, said Pres. Tuckfield. "We all felt good. The next day at Church we were commenting about our aching muscles - but our souls felt good."
