WS Chronicle

The people of eastern North Carolina are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.  The Minister’s Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity (MCWSV), Love Out Loud, the City of Winston-Salem, and others held a press conference at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Oct. 9, to update the community of the citywide collaboration to respond to the devastation.

The alliance announced there will be a mission trip planned for Oct. 21-27.  They are looking for 100 volunteers to assist them with the clean up efforts that will take place in Craven, Jones and Onslow counties.

Rev. Dr. Preston Harris, moderator of the Trent River Oakey Grove Missionary Baptist Association, was in attendance for the press conference.  He gave details of the devastation many of the churches have endured.  He made an appeal for the coalition to come to their aid to help churches and schools in the eastern region of North Carolina.

“It is a blessing for us to have a group of individuals, from a city that is not even in our area, to be concerned about us,” said Harris.  “It gives us a breath of fresh air in knowing that people are willing to lend a helping hand and see our despair.

“Even though the flood waters have subsided, the damage is still there,” he said.  “The kids have not gone back to school in Onslow County.  Jones and Craven County kids have been out of school for two weeks also.  Two of the schools in Jones County will not reopen because of damage, so that means they will have to overcrowd other schools to accommodate the students.”

Harris went on to say that all of the temporary housing in those three counties is to capacity.  Many individuals who are in need of housing are having to go outside of the area to find it.

Rev. Dr. Lamonte Williams, president of the MCWSV, is from the eastern region of the state, so when he received the call for help, he felt obliged to do so.

“We were able to connect through networking and let me say that this whole effort represents networking,” said Williams.  “We are thankful that there is a powerful perspective for networking and that is what allowed us to connect in the beginning.”

The same coalition group recently sent nearly 40,000 bottles of water to the affected areas.  According to Williams, the plan is to bring more water, along with other supplies.

Williams said the plan for the volunteers is for them to do work that does not require a permit.  Their main focus is to clear away damaged items from dwellings, as well as clearing away structural damage inside of buildings.

The coalition has set up a toll-free number for people in the affected areas to call in and request assistance.  There is free food, lodging and transportation for those interested in volunteering for the trip. For more information please visit loveoutloudws.com.