Over 200 church members from a North Georgia congregation gathered earlier this month in Venice, Florida to help those in need.
Hurricane Ian was a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that swept through areas of Cuba and the southeast United States in September, causing substantial damage that resulted in 147 fatalities. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Coal Mountain were quick to assemble a volunteer force on October 14 that assisted in mucking out houses, removing fallen trees and clearing debris.
Church members gathered in Venice, Florida before being assigned into teams of 10 to 15 people. In total, there were over 1,000 volunteers from the southeast that arrived in Venice with the tools, supplies and equipment needed for the job. Once teams were defined, they were sent out to specific locations to begin the cleanup.
Coal Mountain Stake Hurricane Relief Coordinator Larry Hill said a lot went into preparing for the volunteer effort.
“We had a week to prepare, and we needed to come down completely self-sufficient with food, water, gas, and all the equipment to do tree work, tree removal, debris, cleanup, and house mucking—so cleaning out flooded homes,” Hill said. “And so we were able to coordinate getting all those people ready to go. And then we were all responsible for driving down there and meeting at the command center.”
Hill’s group was assigned to manage tree removal. They brought a skid steer and chainsaws along with them to help with cutting and stacking logs. Many volunteers took work off on Friday, October 14 to arrive in Venice on time. They worked over 10 hours on Saturday and another six hours on Sunday morning. Some volunteers stayed in hotels, while others camped.
“It was half and half,” Hill said. “Half got hotels, anywhere from an hour north of Venice in Tampa, down to a little bit closer, and then half actually camped on some development property that people allowed us to camp on. And so it was totally primitive as far as no amenities other than a porta-potty. People just camped in tents and cooked their own food and brought water and all that kind of stuff.”
The effort was not limited to adults, as many families brought their children with them. The general guideline was that major volunteer participation was limited to ages 14 and up. Some saw the effort as an opportunity to teach their children about service to those in need.
“You know, a lot of these people have lost everything,” Hill said. “The most memorable part, I think it was probably seeing the look on this mother and daughter's face when we were able to remove a giant tree off the top of their house. And they had lost—the garage was crushed. And we were able to get it cut up and largely removed, which was a huge relief for them.”
For Hill and many others who joined in relief efforts, this was not the first time they had been down to Florida after a hurricane. Their church puts out a call for volunteers every year there is major natural disaster damage. In previous years they have helped with tornado, hurricane and other flooding cleanups. Hill believes that helping those in need is of critical importance.
“We believe in trying to follow our Savior's example of when he was on the earth, the most important thing he did was minister to other people, those that stood in need,” Hill said. “And anytime I can answer that call, and go help others, that's what we do.
