Operation Blessing Helping Helene Victims 25 Days in; Linemen Rally at ‘Pretty Place’ Cross in SC
The slow process of recovery continues for residents in the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee just 25 days after Hurricane Helene made landfall.
The death toll from the Category 4 storm has reached at least 227, according to the latest report from the Associated Press.
In North Carolina, more than 50 people are still missing after flooding from the hurricane that has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
While most of the attention has focused on the extremely hard hit areas of North Carolina, thousands are still without power in South Carolina and Georgia too. Hundreds of roads are closed and dozens of bridges need to be replaced making aid delivery incredibly difficult in certain areas.
A new FEMA report shows that more than $154 million will help nearly 211,047 South Carolina households recover from Helene, including $11 million in housing grants to help pay for home repair, home replacement, and rental assistance for temporary housing.
The agency has also pledged nearly $2 billion in assistance to help people hit hard by both Helene and Milton throughout the Southeast.
Meanwhile, International teams from CBN’s Operation Blessing are still scouring out-of-the-way places to help people in need.
As they drove down one road in North Carolina, Deena Fortune flagged them down and asked if they were delivering supplies.
Deena was in need of disaster relief supplies due to her living in such an isolated area in North Carolina. We provided her with a food box, hygiene kit, solar lamp, and a BeFree Katadyn water filter! We also shared precious moments in prayer. pic.twitter.com/zs6bEgjfFi
— Operation Blessing (@operationbless) October 21, 2024
Deena, a widow, lives alone in the mountains, 13 miles from the nearest town.
She was happy to learn the team had many items she needed. They followed her home bringing a food box, hygiene kit, solar lamp, and a water filter.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a uniquely Christian perspective.*** “It means a lot to me that you are a blessing,” she shared. “You brought me some food…and water that I don’t have to carry. That helps me out tremendously.”
Deena added, “You [have] been a blessing to me.”
The widow said she’d been feeling down, but she said the Operation Blessing team was sent by God and it made her day.
If you would like to support Operation Blessing as it helps those hit hard by hurricane victims, you can call CBN at 1-800-700-7000 or click HERE to visit Operation Blessing’s website.
Canadian Linemen Restore Power in South Carolina
Meanwhile, power has been restored to a well-known landmark near Greenville, South Carolina.
Pretty Place Chapel attracts visitors every year because of its serene location and its majestic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
But Hurricane Helene nearly destroyed the site.
As CBN News reported, video of the chapel after the storm showed trees toppled along the property, and large sections of the roof and support beams destroyed. Miraculously, the cross on the property was intact.
Ground officials anticipated it will take a lot of time for the chapel to be rebuilt and open to the public.
“We will be working for the next long while, unforeseen future, to restore Pretty Place to its natural beauty,” shared Nicholas Patton, director of operations at Pretty Place Chapel.
However, volunteer linemen from Sumter Utilities Inc. and Gagnon Lines in Canada showed up days later to restore power and help staff reopen.
“A guy named Cory from Sumter Utilities came to scout out the land and see how bad the damage was,” Cory Harrison, YMCA Camp Greenville’s Vice President of Overnight Camping told Southern Living. “We rode around the property together looking at all the downed lines and tree issues. He said, ‘I really want to help you guys out here, but this is really bad so I’m going to try to push to help you get power back ASAP.'”
Two days later he showed up with a team of linemen ready to work.
“I have 40 trucks about to roll in here and knock this out,” Harrison was told.
The crew, which are retired linemen who sign up to help in emergency power restoration efforts after big storms, had the power back on by the end of the day.
They had one simple request – to take a picture surrounding the cross and enjoying the park’s beauty.
“I think they felt the awe and beauty of Pretty Place and what it represents. Knowing that so many people come here every year, it was such a unique opportunity for them to be here,” said Harrison. “Seeing all these big linemen jump into a photo together, arms around each other…It was a really cool moment.”
Harrison said the lineman restored more than power that day. “When they restored the power, it restored a whole lot of hope to us here,” he shared.
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