04/10/2024
North Carolina Update!!
I have a heavy heart today. I’m frustrated, sad, mad and all those emotions in between. If you want to know about my experience keep reading… it’s a little lengthy.
Jonathan Murphy, a Bergman police officer and a member of the MIB Distaster team has been with me for the last few days trying to help in any way. I have responded to over 35 national level disasters, 29 of them being hurricanes. I have about as much experience as any one I know from armed protection, rescuing people, to handing out water in the mountains of Puerto Rico. As you saw in my earlier post, we tried to help at the very worst of places affected by this storm. On every occasion we were turned away by authorities as was many professional people because we were not registered on their FEMA response plan. We took imitative and walked creeks, looked around ponds looking for deceased persons, did traffic control in the very bad hit areas without their permission. Today’s mission was to contact a medical supply facility that had over 20 staff missing or unaccounted for. Jonathan and I bought ropes, shovels and everything else that we needed to hike into the mountains to locate these people. After driving on back roads and giving over bridges that were out, We finally made it to their facility and talked to a couple of employees that were accessing damage there. They told us they knew the had employees killed and many were missing. They told us to go to another building where they were handing out water and supplies to the rest of their employees and talk to the HR director. We did this and the HR director met us in the parking lot with another gentleman. We told them we were police officers from Arkansas and we had been on a disaster response for Fresenius Kidney Care for the last week and half and that Our duty was over and we were there to volunteer help them locate the missing staff. She said we don’t need your help. I asked her if all the staff had been accounted for. She hesitantly said no. I ask her if they had had any contact. She said I assume they are ok, it’s probable that their cell phones were down and they just couldn’t get in touch. I said you assume, it’s been over a week. I said just please give us an address so we can check on them. I told her that we were prepared to make the hike. She did she would not give us any information about her employees because it was against policy. I said even if they are dying and need help? She said absolutely not they didn’t need our help and they had contacted FEMA for employee support. That means they are not trying to get to those people. The man with her stepped in and told us we don’t need your help for us to be on our way.
At every step, and not just ours, we have been turned away. I have only felt this was during the failure in Katrina, Puerto Rico and now in North Carolina. I don’t know what else to do …. The people who live here thank us at every stage for helping them. Some cry some hug us. These people need help!! I started giving a little money to people individually after I heard their stories. I feel helpless here working with the government and “officials”. We decided to give up and head home. And that is very difficult to acknowledge. While I was gutting things ready I was contacted by a local Doctor from back home and asked how they could help. I almost cried because of what I was feeling. So many people wanting to help. She said that she would raise money because a lot of people wanted to help but didn’t trust the government with their money. And I don’t blame them. I’m willing; my team is willing but we don’t know. what it do. I have witnessed the local churches making the most impact on their communities. She asked me to set up an account any for me to deliver the aid personally. I told her that I wasn’t being very helpful and I didn’t know how I could help. There are so many to help that it is over whelming. She said you and your team should do this personally. DONT listen to the government coverage and what they are saying. This has been a repeat of Katrina. We have learned nothing. Sitting here on the side of the road in Western Norrh Carolina praying for direction.
