Many states have suffered from natural disasters in the past few weeks. Wildfires spread rampant out west, and hurricanes, torrential rains that led to flooding and severe tornadoes have ravaged the south.
These are trying times for the people affected by those disasters.
The one positive thing that comes from these types of events is that others pull together to collect supplies and send in first responders to assist with the hardest-hit areas.
One fine local example is the Kermit Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD), which collected truckloads of bottled water, bleach, food and other much-needed items to take to North Carolina, which suffered from catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Helene came ashore with heavy rainfall. The KVFD swift water rescue team also helped look for victims on their trip down south.
In this area, we know full well about flooding. Many of you have memories of the 1977 and 1984 flooding from the Tug River. We have also had several flash floods when heavy rainfall caused creeks and streams to rise quickly and damage homes, vehicles and other property.
Parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina were hit hard in the last few weeks.
It is great to see so many Christian organizations collect money and goods to assist those states that were hardest hit.
It is uplifting to see the human spirit and the kindness of so many during times of hardship.
These stressful times can have a tough effect on many people who have lost their homes, property and tragically, in some cases, family members from drowning.
According to Psychology Today, “historical and psychological research suggests that in collective crises, people are generally inspired to act with compassion, not selfishness.”
They also stated, “Our drive to connect is a hidden asset that may be tapped to promote resilience in disaster relief efforts.”
The magazine article also read, “Plans for harnessing people’s natural drive to connect and contribute are important to consider in preparing for potential catastrophic events—because both social connection and helping others benefit people’s ability to cope and find resilience in collective crises.”
It seems like people in Appalachia always step up to help others, whether it is for a neighboring county, state or even a family that has suffered some kind of catastrophe.
Stressful times call for extraordinary measures.
It is heartwarming to see so many step up and donate supplies, money or their time to help others. This is the best aspect of human nature. It is the spirit that God gives to us of loving one another as we do ourselves.
However, it is not only individuals who are struck by disasters. Entire communities can be devastated. If you have watched the news, towns like Asheville, North Carolina and many smaller communities around western North Carolina were almost completely destroyed. The destruction from the raging floodwaters was pure devastation.
Even the COVID-19 pandemic revealed how vulnerable some individuals are when disaster strikes. Another health-related disaster could happen again. So we need to be ready to help our neighbors when the time comes.
We always hear special stories of ordinary people becoming heroes by stepping up to help others during disasters. Many risk their own lives to save others and go above and beyond the call of duty.
Helping others in need should be something we all do to prevent or alleviate human suffering that arises out of disasters like we have seen in the last few weeks.
We never know when another natural disaster may happen in our neck of the woods and we would hope others would step up and help us in time of need.
Supporting others offers people a chance to feel that their actions matter even in a situation that seems beyond their control—which again promotes resilience.
When we help others, we always gain more than we give.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)