The day before yesterday went really well! I wrote this yesterday but I couldn’t post it because we didn’t have any Wi-Fi. In the morning we went to Hyde County’s government building and a county commissioner talked to us about Hyde County in general and how it has reacted and currently reacts to natural disasters, especially hurricanes. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I was really taken aback by the complexity of disaster preparation and the obstacles Hyde County faces every day because of the these disasters. After learning more about Hyde County, Mrs. Keeney, the city planner who has facilitated our trip here, showed us some empty lots by the Pamlico Sound, where houses had stood before Hurricane Isabel in 2003. It was also really interesting to hear what Mrs. Keeney and other community members had in mind for these empty lots with breath-taking views of the sound. Hyde County’s ideas for development are amazing and I’m still crossing my fingers for a kitten orphanage. 

After our brief tour and a few too many group pictures we went back to the historic courthouse to finish mopping the floors so the building could be ready to hold an art exhibit later this month. Despite being battered by hurricane after hurricane, the courthouse is still standing and, I believe, this really exemplifies Hyde County’s strong historical narrative and devoted community members. We wish we could be here to see it outfitted with art that hopefully can compete with some of my koala portraits of 2001. 

After our staple lunch: PB&J or turkey sandwiches (one piece of sliced turkey, one slice of cheese, and mayo), we headed to the United Methodist Disaster Recovery Team’s facilities to prepare and serve dinner for about 90 volunteers and a few families whose homes these volunteers had worked on. There was a big group of college students from Virginia Tech and Ferris State University in Michigan, as well as a couple of other older-adult volunteer groups. The menu included good, old-fashioned Southern BBQ, baked beans (with bacon of course), homemade cornbread, and coleslaw. I spent the whole afternoon drenched in sweat skinning the pig and ripping the meat from its weary bones. Just kidding. The menu also included a pear salad. For the majority of our readers who don’t know what a pear salad is, it consists of two pear halves nestled in a bed of lettuce topped with a big dollop of mayonnaise and a sprinkle of shredded Mexican cheese. None of us had heard of it, and being the adventurous and open-minded group we are, we all tried to stay at least five feet away from it. 

After dinner and spilt sweet tea, we got the chance to hear from the families who had benefitted from these volunteers. Their stories of survival, struggle, and hope were inspiring and humbling. There were tears and smiles and pats on the back and such a sense of community in that room of previous strangers. I’m so glad that I was able to see that and, as Kelly Rowland would say, that is our motivation.

Katherine