Pataskala volunteers organize donation drive for Hurricane Helene relief

Packs of bottled water, diapers and canned items have been arriving at Becky Rak’s door for a few days now. Rak, who lives in central Ohio, understands the importance of supporting communities — especially in the face of disaster.

After the devastation in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene — a Category 4 hurricane that swept through landlocked parts of the state Sept. 27, killing at least 200 people, hundreds still missing and nearly a million people without power — Rak is working alongside other volunteers in Licking County to collect donations for victims.

On Oct. 1, Matt Charles, of Pataskala, posted on the Pataskala Community & Citizens Facebook page a call for donations of bottled water, nonperishable food items, first aid supplies, baby food and items, blankets, emergency supplies and pet food, among other needs. Rak, Charles and Ben Mathews, also of Johnstown, organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for a trip to deliver donated supplies on Oct. 12.

With more than 18,000 people living in Pataskala, Rak said, she expects the community to show up for their far-away neighbors in need. Rak, Charles and Mathews are working with churches such as the Emmanuel Church of Etna, Real Church and Five14 Church to organize donations.

Their efforts are of their own volition, and they are making no profits, they said. Since they’re an unofficial group of ordinary citizens, it’s been difficult to gain traction and trust from the community, but it also allows them to mobilize individually and immediately.

“Right now, when it's so recent, you need communities of people that are agile, that are small and quick,” Charles said. “We put this together in one day.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent the past week providing aid to North Carolina residents. But officials are still facing challenges reaching certain areas that have been ravaged and cut off. In many areas, roads and other infrastructure have been destroyed. Some areas are accessible only on foot or by helicopter, and travel is still dangerous and spotty.

“There's a lot of media focus that's on Asheville, so they have food and water for the time being,” Charles said. “There's a lot of towns out there that are forgotten about.”

In towns like Swannanoa, many people have expressed frustration at the limitations of government assistance. Many of these towns are reliant on church volunteers for immediate, temporary relief. Charles hopes to reach these communities that have been cut off and still lack access to basic necessities like clean water.

FEMA does not have enough funding to help everyone. Becky and her husband, Michael Rak, have experienced first-hand the difficulty of recovering from a natural disaster. In February, the tornado that devastated central Ohio hit the Rak’s property in Pataskala, felling hundreds of trees. It took them more than six months to assess and repair the damages. But, Rak said, they were fortunate to still have a house to live in.

Many affected by the deadly storm in North Carolina were not so lucky. In some hard-hit areas, flooding wiped away entire communities.

“There’s whole towns that are gone — no debris or anything. They’re just gone,” Mathews said.

Some people worry that volunteers traveling to North Carolina will hinder rescue and relief efforts, but some roads are opening up and crisis response groups such as Samaritan’s Purse encourage volunteers. Charles is in contact with local authorities and churches to ensure that once across the North Carolina border, the donations will reach points of distribution.

“We're just two people that live in Pataskala that went through our own thing with a tornado,” Rak said. “These people need us. They need us. I don't care if they're two states away or five states away or they're in our own state, they need us.”

Mia Fischel writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Pataskala volunteers organize donation drive for Hurricane Helene relief