Emergency collections serve hurricane victims (Environmental Factor, October 2018)

NIEHS responded to the devastating floods and damage from Hurricane Florence in September by launching an emergency drive to stock food banks in hard-hit areas.

“It is clear that our state will suffer severe consequences of flooding for months to come,” said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program. “For the individuals and families heavily affected by Florence, recovery will require support from many levels, including help from friends, neighbors, governments, and charitable donations.”

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and North Carolina National Guard push a boat full of residents in flood waters.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) assisted residents of Old Dock, west of Wilmington, as flooding forced them from their homes. Shelters cared for people whose homes were damaged or inaccessible. (Photo courtesy of NCNG under license CC BY-2.0)

Curbside collections return

As with the summer Feds Feed Families drive, NIEHS volunteers organized curbside collection points at the Rall and Keystone buildings. The first one was held on Sept. 26 and brought in about 1500 pounds of much-needed items.

“I can only imagine what we will do for the remaining curbside collection dates Oct. 10 and Oct. 24,” Birnbaum said. Collection boxes are located throughout both buildings for donations at other times.

Again, leading the effort are Monya Brace, from the Office of Management; Edith Lee, from the NIEHS Office of Fellows Career Development and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2923; and Pinkney Wilder, from the Signal Transduction Laboratory and the president of Blacks in Government.

A resident of Wilmington, NC, surveys the flood waters following Hurricane Florence.

The emergency food drive will help residents with basic necessities, while they wait for flood waters to recede and as they clean up and restore their homes. (Photo courtesy of NC Department of Public Safety under license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

“After seeing some of the damage from the hurricane, I know the need is great and will be much appreciated,” said Lee.

Those interested in volunteering for the curbside collections should contact Monya Brace in the Office of Management. “We are working with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which serves most of the affected areas and is coordinating disaster relief donations,” she said.