UNC-Charlotte Disaster Response Trip

For Fall Break, a group of students from Niner United (UNC Charlotte’s Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and United Methodist campus ministry) decided to go south to Brunswick, Georgia to do some disaster relief for the people whose homes were affected by Hurricane Irma. We went to multiple homes during the three days we were there. Most of the work we did was helping to clear out backyards, by cutting down and clearing out branches from fallen trees. Some trees ended up being rather large, but we completed the work with the help of chainsaws. We also tarped two different roofs, that had some damage that caused leaking into the house, and we took down a moldy ceiling and then patched up the damaged area. There was a lot of muscle-moving work, combined with a lot of sweat from the heat and humidity; but there was also a lot of bonding from working together with fellow students, and a lot of compassion and heart-warming feelings for being able to help those who had no other way to help themselves. I am thankful that I was part of this long, but enriching trip.

By Elizabeth Hammock, UNC-Charlotte Student