The North Carolina Conference Disaster Response Ministry is one of six non-profits to receive a grant from the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts. The $225,000 grant was announced by Governor Roy Cooper at a NC Conference home rebuilding site in Lumberton on June 28.
Hurricane Matthew flooded tens of thousands of homes and businesses in North Carolina and caused $4.8 billion in damage. The grants are made possible by donations from the public to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund. Non-profits were selected based on applications reviewed by the Governor’s Office, the United Way of North Carolina, and North Carolina Emergency Management.
As of June 30, the NC Conference Disaster Response Office has received 233 requests for assistance. New calls are coming in every day. 391 volunteer teams have come and worked, 4,415 individuals have participated in the cleanup for a total of 120,544 hours.
Cooper acknowledged the work of the many volunteers, “We know that the labor that’s being provided by these volunteers is invaluable. Not only is it an economic contribution to rebuilding these homes, but the love and caring and the relationships that are built with these families is special.”
Don Evans, the site coordinator in Fayetteville added, “Right after the hurricane came through, we were tearing out homes, taking precious memories and putting them on the street. Now we are in the phase of rebuilding those homes. We can’t rebuild the memories; we can’t replace the memorabilia, but we can certainly try to replace the home for these individuals to go back and have some air of normalcy.”
The North Carolina Disaster Response Center is still receiving calls for assistance and scheduling individuals and teams to help with the recovery process. Call 888-440-9167 to speak with a representative. Financial contributions can be made online at https://old.nccumc.org/disaster/ or by mailing a check to Conference Treasurer-Raleigh Area, P.O. Box 890202, Charlotte, NC 28289-0202, marked for Hurricane Matthew Relief.