Relief groups flush with clothing, but cash is needed to rebuild

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Within hours of the Nov. 16 tornado, clothes, household goods and food began pouring into Riegelwood.

Tents, cargo containers and storage units fill one corner of the parking lot at Riegelwood Baptist Church, where a distribution site was set up. The units were brought in to hold the tons of relief supplies donated by groups as far away as Tennessee, Virginia and New York.

Now, relief workers say victims and the agencies helping them need money more than food, clothes or household items. Non-perishable foods, new socks, underwear, diapers and baby wipes are still needed, but general clothing is in good supply.

Officials say roughly 100 families will need some form of disaster assistance, from minor repairs to replacement of their homes.

One thing relief workers have in plenty is clothing.

“There are more than enough clothes,” said JoAn Rhodes, executive director of the Columbus County Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Right now what is needed more than anything is money.”

James Duncan agreed.

The president of the Baptist Men at Riegelwood Baptist, Duncan also volunteers with N.C. Baptist Men Disaster Relief. He has been working eight to 12 hours every day since the tornado.

“We need cash to help get these people back on their feet,” he said.

The Baptist Men’s group was scheduled to return to Riegelwood this week to help clear debris from several home sites.

Riegelwood Baptist and the Red Cross are just two of the groups raising funds for the tornado victims. The storm hit at a tough financial time for some groups – storm response has drained much of the available funds from the Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief, which responded on a national level to Hurricane Katrina.

The local Red Cross is also in the middle of its primary annual fundraiser, Rhodes said.

“We still have local emergencies that we respond to throughout the year,” Rhodes said. “Last year, we helped 46 families after they survived house fires.”

Volunteers are organizing an unmet needs committee, primarily composed of churches like Riegelwood Baptist, Wesley Methodist and others that participated in fundraising and relief efforts. The group will deal with funds donated to organizations other than the Red Cross, Rhodes said.

While people have been generous with material goods, they’ve also opened their wallets to help.

The Cape Fear Chapter of the Red Cross, of which the Columbus County unit is a member, topped its fundraising goal of $45,000, Rhodes said. The total amount of donations to various area churches and faith-based groups was not immediately available, but some churches in the area donated in excess of $1,000 each.

Rhodes said she understood the funerals for the eight victims have been paid for through donations and state emergency funding. State officials were in the area Tuesday accepting applications for further aid.

“Once we get the needs identified,” Rhodes said, “we find out how else we can help.”

Riegelwood Baptist Church secretary Sherry Wise said she has fielded calls from all over the country since the story made the national news.

“It’s unreal,” she said. “I’ve talked to people in New York who want to know how they can help.”

The church acts as a central distribution point, Rhodes said. Donations are received and cataloged, then stored until they can be handed out to storm victims.

Donations so overwhelmed the church that many goods are being stored in tents normally used by the Baptist Men in large-scale disasters. The relief trailer used by Riegelwood Baptists to provide storm cleanup assistance was stolen recently and emptied. When the trailer was recovered, it was turned into a clothing storage unit.

“I understand people have been donating some tools for the trailer as well,” Rhodes said. “It’s terrible that it was stolen at just such a time.”

While help from outside the community has been tremendous, Wise said, local offers have been overwhelming.

Wise said she learned about the community’s support after an accident killed her mother-in-law and seriously injured her daughter several years ago.

“The thing that’s really amazing,” she said, “is the way folks around here have just opened up their arms to help. It crosses all racial lines…it doesn’t matter who you are or what area you’re from, people want to help.

“This was a terrible thing, but it’s wonderful the way people have turned out to support one another.”