Curt and Ann Neal volunteer with Texans On Mission, a catastrophe aid group linked to the Southern Baptist Conference. The couple says they’ve responded to a few dozen disasters this yr.
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Jeff Brady/NPR
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – Volunteers have descended on western North Carolina and japanese Tennessee to assist residents recuperate from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, together with Curt and Ann Neal. The retired couple, from McKinney, Texas, says they’ve volunteered at a dozen catastrophe websites this yr.
Just lately their truck and 14 foot utility trailer, crammed with instruments, brooms and a sprig washer, was parked outdoors a Jonesborough, Tenn. house that was flooded by the Nolichucky River. Volunteers noisily eliminated the ground, which was broken by the silty river water.
“We took the laminate out and underneath the laminate was linoleum. So we’re peeling that up as well,” stated Curt Neal, who wears a blue hat as a result of he’s this unit’s chief. The volunteers are additionally eradicating hardwood flooring that Neal estimates have been first put in 50 years in the past.
As local weather change makes flooding extra frequent and intense, water is reaching locations that by no means used to flood.
A volunteer from Texans On Mission rips up a broken hardwood ground. Water from the Nolichucky River rose within the wake of Hurricane Helene and crossed a freeway to flood this house close to Jonesborough, TN.
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“When we finish with the house, we’ll try to spray wash it – get it completely cleaned out. And then we have a sanitizer that kills any mold that may have accumulated or starts to grow,” stated Neal.
The volunteers put on vivid yellow shirts that learn “Texas Baptist Men” – earlier this yr the group modified its title to Texans On Mission. Ann Neal has painted her fingernails (and toenails) to match the blue lettering on the shirts.
“I’m actually the team chaplain, so I spend a lot of time with the homeowner — huggin’ on ‘em, lovin’ on ‘em, listening to them.”
Ann Neal stated it’s necessary to allow them to “tell their stories” as “part of the healing process.”
The Neals say the yellow shirts introduced them to the group. They noticed a gaggle carrying them at church, whereas visiting their son.
“They were there because of a disaster that had taken place – a flood. And we just kind of looked at each other and said, ‘When we retire, this is what we’re doing,’” stated Ann Neal, who retired on the finish of 2016. They’ve been going to disasters ever since.
“How many have we been to? Probably a dozen this year,” she stated. Curt Neal estimates they’ve volunteered at 60 catastrophe websites over time.
“We’ve been to Poland, we’ve been to Israel, we’ve been to Cuba. We were in Lahaina, Hawaii, last year to help with the fires there.”
Volunteers from Texans On Mission clear out a house that was flooded by the Nolichucky River, close to Jonesborough, Tenn.
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Whereas they’re Christian evangelists, the group says its assist comes with out strings. Mollie Freeman stated she appreciates the group’s help – the flooded home belongs to her mother-in-law.
“Very thankful, because we had gotten everything cleaned out of here – you can see the furniture is gone,” Freeman stated, however there wasn’t time to tear up the flooring but.
That’s as a result of Freeman’s household was busy serving to others who have been even worse off.
