Hurricane victims grateful to Canadians, says Island helper
A few simple words from grateful North Carolina residents make it all worthwhile for Gary Carleton: “Hi, Canada.”
It’s a common refrain the North Cowichan man hears from people who see by his vest that he’s with the Canadian Red Cross. He is on a three-week stint in North Carolina helping people who are rebuilding their lives after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Florence.
“Everywhere we go, we go into Walmart or something, people come up and shake our hands and thank us very much for being here,” Carleton said.
Canadian money is a real crowd-pleaser, he said.
“We’re very proud, and one of the highlights is to show children a Canadian $5 bill,” Carleton said. “They’ve never seen Canadian currency and even the parents, they get all excited because our bills are not the green paper.”
The 62-year-old Carleton, who is in emergency management with the Red Cross, is part of a two-person team that travels to various shelters offering assistance to those in charge.
“We also talk to the clients and our partner agencies to see how they’re all doing and how they’re working together.”
The shelter-support teams help in any way they can, Carleton said.
“We’ll head over and do some shopping for them, but we’re usually only on site for an hour or two.”
On a recent afternoon, he was on his way to three shelters around Fayatteville, he said, dropping off fresh fruit and other supplies.
This is Carleton’s first international posting for the Red Cross, but he has been to many incidents in Canada with the agency, including the Fort McMurray, Alta. wildfire of 2016, B.C.’s wildfires and floods in Manitoba.
He said about 1,500 people are still in the 22 shelters in North Carolina, and many have a long road to recovery.
A number of those affected had a similar experience just two years ago with Hurricane Matthew, said Carleton, whose 13 years with the Red Cross began as a volunteer.
He told the story of one family, a couple with three children, who moved south to North Carolina just a few weeks before Florence hit. The father had found a job and the family was trying to settle in. “They were trying to get on their feet and they were in a hotel,” Carleton said.
“The next thing they knew they’re in a shelter.”
Now they don’t know when they can return to the motel or if the father’s new job still exists, he said.
Carleton said power seems to be quickly coming back, but there is still a lot to be done, with about 600 roads still closed in the state. Many low-lying county roads are still underwater.
“There’s a lot of anxiety and a lot of people are also asking what’s next.”
The Red Cross continues to accept donations for relief efforts. Call 1-800-418-1111, contact your local Red Cross office or go to redcross.ca.