WMH sends aid to N.C. after hurricane

Weiser Memorial Hospital employees and volunteers recently came together to collect supplies for those affected by a hurricane that swept through the country’s east coast region.

 On Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene set out on a path of destruction, beginning in Florida and spreading to the southern Appalachian Mountains, wiping out part of North Carolina, which was most affected by the storm. 

 It was deemed an historic combination of heavy rain, catastrophic landslides and life-threatening floods that swept away cars and homes. It was the worst storm disaster ever recorded in South Carolina where 49 people have died, according to USA Today.

 There were 100 reported deaths in North Carolina, where it was deemed the worst storm in a hundred years. There have been at least 230 deaths across six states.

 More than 300,000 people remained without power in the following days, with 140,000 in North Carolina alone, according to poweroutage.us.

 “Liam, an RN at the hospital, was heading to Tennessee on vacation and came up with the idea of taking personal supplies to help people who are affected by the recent storms,” wrote WMH Marketing and Community Relations Manager Kasey Davis in a text. “In about 24 hours, many organizations and individuals pulled together a large amount of items. Hospital volunteers helped load the enclosed trailer with everything from hygiene items and blankets to dog food and baby supplies. It was a large amount of a lot of different things that will hopefully help comfort and help those in need.” 

 On Sunday, Liam sent Davis a message that read, “I will be delivering Knoxville (Tenn.) at noon. It will be transferred to another trailer and combined with aid to a North Carolina town. It is a small town that is overlooked easily by disaster relief agencies.”

 Davis added that the supplies will reach a local church pastor who will distribute the items to families in need.

 Also participating in the humanitarian effort was Family Medical Center, Two Rivers Medical Clinic, Dille Dental, Dr. Gudmestad, Our Town Family Dentistry, Snake River Feed, an anonymous donor, Brittanie Haubach, WMH employees and other community members.

 Helene came over a week before Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, Florida, south of Tampa Bay, Oct. 9.

 As of Oct. 11, 24 people have reportedly died, the storm moving across the Florida peninsula and ultimately out over the Atlantic Ocean.

 At that same time, it was reported that over 300,000 customers were experiencing power outages and over 2,000 gas stations had limited fuel, accounting for 26 percent of all gas stations in the state, creating chaos in the region.