Volunteers work for recovery
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 18, 2016 10:05 AM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Sherry Granberry organizes meals to go out to first responders across Wayne County Saturday. Granberry has been volunteering at the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center since Monday, Oct. 10, to help the county respond to recovery efforts after Hurricane Matthew.
Sherry Granberry didn't intend to spend nearly an entire week volunteering at the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center.
As an early childhood education instructor at Wayne Community College, she isn't beholden to any sort of government agency taking part in the Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts. Yet Ms. Granberry has been in the EOC since Monday, working 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. for free each day to help coordinate first responders, volunteers and victims from all over the county in the wake of the historic storm.
Ms. Granberry only arrived at the Jeffreys Building, where the EOC is housed, to drop something off to fellow WCC volunteer Tara Humphries. Before she knew it, she said, she was wrapped up in the emergency management process and committed to helping however she could.
"I've just been doing whatever needs to be done," she said. "Getting food, answering phones, washing dishes, whatever."
Although the EOC is currently staffed by what Ms. Humphries called a "skeleton crew" of approximately 15 people, the operation still carries a sense of urgency as sheriff's deputies and volunteers move in and out carrying meals and gathering information.
Ms. Granberry said that she is tired but overall feeling fine after a frenetic week. Many of the calls she has received since the recovery operation began have been from those looking to help.
"Most people call in saying 'I want to help, what can I do?' If you want to volunteer, contact United Way. They have a list on their website where you can find ways to help out."
While Ms. Granberry spoke, Ms. Humphries answered a call from a local church looking to donate.
"Lordy lordy lordy, so many people looking to donate," she said with a tired smile. "That's a good problem to have."
Wayne County Public Schools communications director Ken Derksen also lent his services to the EOC over the past week. He said that the EOC has been staffed by a wide variety of people.
"Every major organization has been represented, from (the) North Carolina Department of Transportation, Goldsboro Police Department, the fire department, sheriff's office, and it's a 24-hour, ongoing situation," he said.
Derksen also offered praise for the first responders still working in dangerous conditions around Wayne County.
"In addition to these volunteers here, we can't forget our first responders. Especially during the height of the storm, these first responders were putting their lives on the line to protect the people of Wayne County," he said.
Back at the EOC, Ms. Granberry said that people have been doing whatever they can to stay on the job.
"We have people clustered in the rooms, sleeping on cots," she said. "One woman, because the light in her room didn't turn off, she slept under her desk so she wouldn't have the light shining on her the whole time."
Ms. Granberry has been able to return home sporadically throughout her time at the EOC, long enough to see the two large oak trees down in her yard. She said one of the trees damaged her home and cut her power, and they will need to be removed before she can get the power back.
For now, however, Ms. Granberry's attention is on the recovery operation. Though she has no prior experience with this kind of work, she said she will be with the EOC for as long as she can.
"When the college opens back up, I'll have to go back, because I teach day and night classes, and I wouldn't be able to leave the day classes and come back here," she said.