ROCKINGHAM — A load of supplies is on its way from Richmond County to Kentucky to help those affected by tornadoes earlier this month.
Led by a deputy from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the convoy left the East Rockingham Fire Department around 11:45 a.m.
Last week, Kenneth McFayden, chief of Mountain Creek Volunteer Fire Department, suggested to the other members of the Richmond County Fire and Rescue Chiefs Association that they should help out, according to Dennis Smith, president of the association and deputy chief at ERFD.
“We just took it and ran with it,” Smith said, “… and been running with it ever since.”
More than a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed touching down in western Kentucky alone, including several that have been rated at least EF-3. The New York Times reported that at least 90 people were killed as tornadoes left a trail of destruction across multiple states along the Mississippi River. According to USA Today, the storm was the deadliest in Kentucky’s history, surpassing one in 1890 that left 76 dead.
Once collection efforts were announced, Smith said there was a tremendous outpouring of support from the community.
Each department was open to take donations at various times between Wednesday and Sunday. The Richmond County Health Department and Ellerbe Town Hall also served as drop-off locations.
On Friday, Sheriff Mark Gulledge and several others from his office were behind Champion Ford with a trailer that, by 3 p.m., had multiple cases of water and other supplies.
“I’m just glad to be able to participate,” Gulledge said before the convoy left. “Richmond County never lets us down when other people are in need and everyone in this county has stepped up to help, so we have two full vehicles heading there.”
The convoy included a 16-foot box truck loaded with toilet paper and paper towels from Cascades and von Drehle and a trailer from Cascades filled with other supplies, including diapers and pet food. The bed of an EFRD pickup was also filled with tarps.
Other donations included pallets of water from Lowe’s Home Improvement and Food Lion.
In addition to the fire and rescue departments, collection efforts were also made by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and numerous local churches.
“It’s a lot more than I thought it would be,” Smith said.
Smith also offered thanks to Emergency Services Director Bob Smith and to G-104.
FirstHealth donated the use of the aforementioned truck and two employees to make the drive and Superior Cranes donated a tractor to pull the trailer.
One of the 10 local first responders heading west to make the delivery is Zac Sharpe, who is a volunteer with both East Rockingham and Hamlet fire departments and landed a job in June with the Aberdeen Fire Department.
Six years ago, Sharpe, at the age of 14, spearheaded an effort to collect aid for residents in neighboring South Carolina following a period of flooding.
He said this effort was “on a whole ‘nother scale.”
“It’s great that everybody was able to come together like they have,” Sharpe said, adding that he decided to take the time off because “it’s an experience like no other.”
“I’ve never been to Kentucky and it’s for a great cause,” Shape continued. “They always say comfort is the enemy of growth, so, I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone and do something a little bit different for the community.”
