Floods and hurricanes affected communities around the world in 2016. Late in the year, Hurricane Matthew swept through the United States. The storm hit eastern North Carolina on the afternoon of October 8 and continued through October 9, leaving behind a path of devastating flooding, destruction of property and loss of life.
The impact of the storm was felt by hundreds of families who lost everything they owned. More than 800 homes in Lenoir County were damaged, leaving families homeless and without food and water. Many families sought refuge in shelters set up by the American Red Cross. A mobile clinic was also set up to provide medical treatment to injured residents.
Pastor Doug Stokes of Gordon Street Christian Church in Kinston made a desperate call to CWS for supplies to assist with the cleanup efforts. CWS responded, shipping 200 cleanup buckets and cleaning supplies to Kinston.
According to Pastor Stokes, “we were very appreciative of how quickly the buckets arrived. People were definitely in need.” He reported that all the buckets were distributed quickly as cleanup supplies were desperately needed by families who were returning to their homes. Families in Kinston are grateful that CWS was able to respond to the crisis and support them as they worked to return their lives to some sense of normalcy.
Because of YOUR generosity, CWS was able to respond quickly to the requests for CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets and other CWS Kits. You helped to provide 8,236 Emergency Cleanup Buckets, 13,980 Hygiene Kits, 3,000 School Kits and 205 wool blankets to communities affected by Hurricane Matthew.