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Service in Disaster

WVFlood.02 WVFlood.01Some people know and some don’t know that here in WV we got hit with some pretty bad flooding in central WV. There are thousands of people without homes and (by last count that I saw) 24 deceased. From the reports, some towns have been completely wiped off the face of the earth. While this is very sad, I wanted to focus on what a few members of my community did starting the day after the flooding began.

There is a business here called Tannerman’s. It is a small business that was started about 14 years ago, if I remember the story correctly. The business owner has a big heart and he really has shown it. Travis Bishop, helped to organize donations and relief trucks and trailers to take the supplies down to the areas being flooded. I had been busy working that day and had no idea what had been going on in my state or my community. Paul, one of Tannerman’s employee’s, and a friend of mine hit me up on FB Messenger and asked me to help get the word out. I was shocked to see the initial flooding that I saw in the pictures. I must have spent 20 minutes looking at all the pictures that were posted and reposted by Tannerman’s and Eastern Panhandle Working Fires. I reposted to my church group and then started texting friends that I knew would be interested in helping out.

Now, I was amazed and impressed with the response from the Berkeley County community. On Friday after the flooding started 3 pickup trucks towed 3 trailers down to the Clendenin, WV area. WVFlood.Help 01 WVFlood.Help 02Saturday 2 more trucks and trailers went and then on Sunday another truck and trailer went. After that, I lost track. I know other supplies have been collected and taken down and are still being collected. I took something over today. Part of the sales floor was covered with cases of water, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and many other things.

This is how a community comes together, this is how a community builds the ties that will bind it together and help it work through it owns problems. It is the type of activity that shows how much we care about our fellow man and that we are willing to help out.

Scout MealsAnother friend of mine took his Boy Scout troop down to one of those communities hit by the flooding and they cooked and served breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a whole Saturday. This is service on a level I have not seen for some time. Service that makes me proud that I participated and proud on my friends and neighbors here in Berkeley County!

iron wil