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"Praise the Lord! Salvation!"
Those were the heartfelt words uttered by a Salvation Army volunteer to
Nick Didow, director of the new Carolina Center for Public Service, when he and
more than 30 faculty, students and staff rolled into flood-ravaged Greenville
on Oct. 16 to lend a hand as part of Alternative Fall Break.
I'm not overstating when I say the Carolina family has been the bearer of
a lot of "salvation" to our neighbors down east who were devastated by
Hurricane Floyd. Public service has always been at the heart of Carolina, and
at no time in recent memory has there been a greater, more immediate need for
our assistance.
The more than 100 Tar Heels who helped flood victims in Greenville and
Windsor during fall break is just one example. In an effort organized by the
Center for Public Service, they "ripped and stripped" several Windsor homes of
damaged drywall and other materials, helped distribute food to 316 Greenville
families and handed out some 26,000 gallons of water. They also did other
unglamorous yet important jobs.
The center, which I have asked to coordinate campus relief efforts, isn't
stopping there. It will continue organizing weekend trips to these towns as
long as the need and manpower are there, and it will coordinate our efforts
with Chapel Hill to help the tiny Edgecombe County community of Speed get back
on its feet. The center also is making plans for an Alternative Thanksgiving
Break and for a grant program to help campus groups partner with others to
develop long-term assistance projects.
I have been amazed by the services, generosity and compassion emanating
from Carolina. Psychiatrists are sharing expertise with local care providers to
help residents cope with the trauma of the storm and its aftermath. Experts on
local government are advising town staffs on how to operate in the wake of a
disaster. Marine scientists are assessing the damage to the Pamlico Sound.
Public health faculty, students and staff are disseminating vital information
to flood victims, as well as to state and local authorities. And volunteers
from the School of Pharmacy and other Health Affairs units are manning the
North Carolina Emergency Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Hotline, which gives
companies and others a way to donate much-needed supplies.
At the same time, staff, faculty and students have collected money, food,
clothing and other necessities for flood victims. Students performance groups
held a benefit concert. The Department of Athletics asked for donations of
money and canned goods at a football game. And employees of UNC Health Care
collected household and cleaning items, other supplies and toys for residents
of Rocky Mount, as well as raised $5,000, much of which will be matched by
corporations.
We're putting our resources right here on campus to work, too. LEARN North
Carolina in the School of Education, for example, opened a Hurricane Floyd
School Relief Bulletin Board on its web site, giving schools a place to post
their needs in hopes that donors will respond.
This is just a sampling of campus outreach efforts. We have much to be
proud of, yet much remains to be done. Even as the poignant stories fade from
the front pages of newspapers, Floyd's victims will continue to need assistance
for months, even years, to come. I am confident Carolina will be there for
them. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do.
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