South Carolina Aiding Those Going Home To Florida

[gtxvideo vid=’jRiNTAI5′ thumb=’http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/jRiNTAI5.jpg’ vtitle=’REST STOP AID’]

Columbia, SC (WOLO)– The long trip back home has started for thousands of evacuees headed toward uncertainty. Florida residents sat in traffic on their way home, but they got a helping hand if they stopped at some of the rest areas on I-26.

Harvest Hope Food Bank and the South Carolina State Guard partnered up to give away boxes of food and water. The SCDOT had packs of water they were giving away to aid to those heading back home.

“Everybody’s helping out,” Linda Sullivan said through tears.  Sullivan says it’s the little things that mean so much.

“It does, it does, it gets us through,” Sullivan said. Sullivan is from Naples but went to North Carolina to find refuge from Irma.  Residents from all over Florida are driving through the Palmetto state, nervous to see what home will look like.

“Many of them have expressed that they do not know what home looks like; if there is a home. And we’re here to support them along their way and send with them our well wishes, our prayers, and our thoughts with their travels back,” Glenn Hamm said, a maj. with SC State Guard. 

Many of them stopped by rest areas to catch their breath and found salvation in some good old southern hospitality. Harvest Hope and the South Carolina State guard gave more than 200 meals away and water… and the DOT was at multiple rest stops handing out cases of water.

“Thank you so much. This is the highlight of our awful trip,” a mom said to the women at the DOT water distribution tent after getting a case of water for her family.

“This is fantastic. This is just really, really nice because, I don’t have much,” Sullivan said. 

“This is awesome, kind of gives you hope for mankind here because this is not something I was expecting at all,” Jeff Warnock said, a resident of Pointe Verda Beach. Warnock has been in North Carolina since Friday to avoid the storm. 

“We actually had one family that came up and hugged us, just because they’re appreciative of the fact that someone’s actually looking out for them,” Loree Green, a member of the DOT team said. 

“It means a lot, it really does,” Warnock said. 

The groups giving aid described it as neighbors helping neighbors, and it shows South Carolina is willing to do whatever it takes to help get Florida back on their feet.

“Sometimes, a simple hug helps. Sometimes, a simple task like passing out water helps. A listening ear, a hug, whatever it takes,” Green said. 

Major Hamm said one member of his team actually took gas out of his own vehicle to help a family have enough gas to make it to a station down the road. Showing how the worst, can bring out the best of South Carolina.