Hurricane Florence struck the east coast of North Carolina on September 9th, 2018. It proceeded to ruin thousands of homes, kill over 50 people, and cause well over 40 billion in damages.
As devastating as these statistics are, they only tell part of the story. One of the often-overlooked negative side effects of a tragedy like this, takes the form of emotional trauma. Along with broken things comes broken people, and the latter can sometimes be harder to mend.
One of The Steel Network, Inc. (TSN) employees, Curtis Simmons, a volunteer Chaplin with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, partnered with Samaritans purse to seek to alleviate some of the emotional damages caused by the hurricane.
When he arrived at the coast, he saw people’s homes laid to ruin. Homes that held a lifetime of memories now completely gutted, their contents strewn about the yard, too water damaged to save.
Curtis’ team helped residents and business owners with repair efforts. Curtis’ role on the team was to offer spiritual and emotional support for victims, homeowners, business owners, volunteers and first responders. He listened as people attempted to decompress and cope with the harsh realities Florence had brought them.
In addition to emotional support, Curtis also brought a collection of donated items provided by TSN employees, for distribution by the Salvation Army.
Coastal residents face a long road to recovery, and in times like these it’s imperative we band together to share the burden. Perhaps the sentiment is best captured in an excerpt from John Donne’s “No Man is an Island” when he wrote, “Send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”