RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV) – The Salvation Army and the local chapter of the American Red Cross wants to assure people living in Richmond Hill that they haven’t left town, and they will have volunteers there assisting in flood recovery for the long haul.
Social media conversations spun out of control in the community indicating a miscommunication between the organizations and the Richmond Hill Community House caused the volunteer organizations to pull out early from helping residents.
“ What people see as being most visible are feeding trucks and so the misconception is that when the trucks roll out, the Salvation Army’s rolled out,” Salvation Army Corps Major Jason Smith told WSAV.
Since the disaster, the Salvation Army has provided just around 15,000 hot meals, snacks and drinks to people impacted by Richmond Hill’s flood waters. The mobile feeding kitchen unit provided grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken and pork chops to the many volunteers who committed themselves to providing assistance there.
Smith said that the Salvation Army is also working alongside volunteers inside the city’s Community House Resource Center and while residents may not see their truck out there, they are still active in the community.
“I’m a resident of Richmond Hill,” Smith said. “I live there. So, the neighbors that have been impacted are my neighbors and so we’ve made a commitment that the Salvation Army is going to be there for the long haul, just as we were for the 22 tornadoes, as we are going to be here for Debby.”
WSAV also spoke with the Regional PR person for Red Cross Georgia, Kathy Zwirck.
Zwirck said the agency has not pullout of Richmond Hill, even if social media rumors said that they have. She also said they remain committed to helping people affected by the flooding and that the Red Cross was there before the storm hit and they are still in the city helping flooding victims get back on their feet.
City Manager Chris Lovell said that the Richmond Hill Community House contact for GEMA and the leadership of volunteer organizations is Bryan County Emergency Management Agency. The county EMA currently has an interim director, Anthony Van Es.
The Community House volunteer donations are being overseen by volunteer Meredith Gibson. Gibson has recently filed paperwork with her intent to run in the November 5 election as a write-in candidate against current Bryan County Commission Chair, Carter Infinger stating that storm response is one of the reasons she felt the need to enter the race.
Watch the interview with both candidates here: Write-in candidate to challenge Bryan County Incumbent Chairman | WSAV-TV
Volunteer agencies continue to work hard in Richmond Hill
