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After Isabel, a Struggle for Normalcy: UMCOR Helps with Long-term Recovery Date: September 24, 2003 
RALEIGH, N.C.: Will life return to normal after Hurricane Isabel? Not for people who were so hard hit they said it was the worst storm they could remember.
"We need help and we need help now," said Sheriff L.B. Johnson of Hyde County, where an estimated 10 percent of families live in poverty.
The need for assistance, both immediate and long-term, was obvious. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was encouraging residents affected by Isabel to register for assistance (1-800-621-FEMA). Officials said that checks were already in the mail to people who filed immediately after the storm hit. Thousands of people have already sought aid through FEMA, officials reported.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is sending emergency grants in response to requests from the North Carolina, Virginia, Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences. UMCOR consultant Larry Powell has gone to the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conferences to help with assessment and to assist with setting up response. Two other consultants for the relief agency, Walt and Marge Rudolph, are in Virginia. UMCOR expects to be involved in long-term case management.
The tiny town of Swan Quarter in Hyde County had at least 300 homes damaged in the storm, said volunteer fireman Guire Cahoon.
"There's people who have lost every single thing they got-- clothes, cars, appliances," added Fire Chief Tony Spencer of Engelhard in Hyde County. "Even if FEMA comes in and gives them a mattress or something, they still don't have a place to put it."
Despite the problems, residents tried to remain upbeat.
"We're going to make it here," Johnson predicted.
That same spirit was evident on Hatteras in Dare County, one of the areas hardest hit by Isabel. The town's water system was still not functional Thursday and the only way in or out of the community was by boat. The road linking Hatteras to other Outer Banks communities, now sitting under the ocean, was not expected to be replaced for at least a month.
Isabel was taking a heavy toll on businesses, many of which were closed for days because of a lack of electrical power. For individuals-- especially those in the fishing industry and who are facing the height of the season-- the losses are expected to be huge. So, too, are losses to farmers in the region.
Steve Bailey, who runs Risky Business Seafood on Hatteras, said some of his fellow fishermen could be out of business permanently.
"The guys who sell (fish) to wholesalers, they're out of work 'cause the truck can't come to pick up their fish," he said, referring to the road that was cut to Hatteras by the storm. "Can't do anything without a road."
Bailey may be one of the lucky ones. Standing on the dock at Hatteras Village, he was busy filleting freshly caught flounder, which he was packing in ice and freezing for later sale. He noted that the storm hit just at the height of the fall flounder fishing season.
"This is their time to catch flounder because it's a high dollar fish," he explained. "They're there to catch, but they can't get them. There's no need to bring them in if they can't ice them and ship them."
He said the Outer Banks community of Buxton may set up a dock where the commercial fishermen could bring their catches but noted it was a much longer trip and could be rough going.
"It's not a problem when the sea is calm, but it is (a problem) when the sea is like it is today with 30 mph winds," Bailey said.
Despite the devastation caused by the storm – homes literally wiped out with no sign that they even existed – Hatteras' tough permanent population was managing to cope. Many of the island's residents didn't leave the town when Isabel approached, even though a mandatory evacuation order had been issued. Some lost everything they owned except for the clothes on their backs.
"We're in pretty good shape down here, all things considered," said Dare County Sheriff Rodney Midgett.
"The people here have rallied," said the Rev. Charles Moseley of the Hatteras United Methodist Church. "They look at everything so positively."
Photos: 1. One of the many homes on Hatteras that were devastated by Hurricane Isabel. 2. United Methodist church officials boat to Hatteras to check on welfare of community and local church. Among those on board were Bishop Marion Edwards of the North Carolina Annual Conference (front right) and Tom Hazelwood from UMCOR's domestic disaster response office (back right). Credit: Disaster News Network photos by PJ Heller, http://www.disasternews.net. Click on any photo to see a larger version.
Please give generously to UMCOR's Hurricanes 2003, Advance #982438. Your tax-deductible gift may be placed in United Methodist church offering plates or sent directly to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, N.Y. 10115. Checks should be written to UMCOR. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation. Persons who can volunteer to work in the recovery efforts may call UMCOR's Volunteer Line toll free: 1-800-918-3100.
You can also help replenish the supply of flood buckets at the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot. Flood buckets are filled with cleaning supplies that people use to clean their homes after floods and hurricanes. For assembly and shipping instructions, call the depot at 1-800-814-8765 or visit UMCOR's emergency kits webpage. Please note that UMCOR cannot pay for shipping or pick up flood buckets to transport them to the depot. You may also give a financial donation to purchase cleaning supplies that the Depot staff and volunteers will use to assemble flood buckets. To help purchase cleaning supplies, give to UMCOR's Material Resource Ministry, Advance #901440.
