SC flooding victims still need help

Published 7:06 pm Saturday, October 17, 2015

ASHLEY VANSANT | DAILY NEWS FLOODING: Rainstorms dumped several inches of water on Beaufort County in early October, causing school closings, cancellations and property damage.

ASHLEY VANSANT | DAILY NEWS
FLOODING: Rainstorms dumped several inches of water on Beaufort County in early October, causing school closings, cancellations and property damage.

Throughout the majority of Beaufort County, the roads are clear, water levels are going back to normal and the land has dried.

Hurricane Joaquin nudged the East Coast a few weeks ago, and while the rainstorms brought dangerous floods to eastern North Carolina, the state was spared for the most part. It could have been much worse.

While it’s easy to move on from Hurricane Joaquin and go about one’s usual business, there are countless victims in South Carolina who were not as lucky. S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley extended the state of emergency on Thursday for about two more weeks. President Barack Obama previously declared about 20 counties in the state as disaster areas, and National Guard troops are still helping to clean up the damage.

Having had plenty of experience with flooding, Beaufort County residents know what disasters of this kind can be like. It’s time to reach out a hand and offer assistance to our neighboring Carolinians. South Carolina residents still need water, food supplies and help repairing the extensive damage.

Local organizations are already stepping up to help, whether it’s a local church, the Beaufort County American Red Cross or the Washington branch of the Salvation Army. Every little bit counts.

It’s important that one does not forget Hurricane Joaquin just yet. People are still suffering, and residents of Beaufort County are in a position to help.

This is not to say that Beaufort County did not have trouble of its own or suffer damage as well — especially the farmers whose crops have been destroyed and the businesses in Belhaven that high water forced to close for two weeks.

Helping South Carolina victims is the right thing to do, and perhaps one day, they may return the favor.