Locals are going to areas affected by Hurricane Helene to help with the cleanup

ATHOL, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – As we learn more about the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, many in our area are heading down to help with the cleanup, but they are not only rebuilding structures, but also rebuilding the human spirit.

“I have to be here, I have to serve,” Cindy Kennedy said.

Cindy Kennedy’s journey began in Athol at the Salvation Army. Over the past few days, it has taken her through the path of destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, from Live Oaks, Florida to now Douglas, Georgia.

“A lot of trees, a lot of wires were down, not a lot of flooding, but destruction… houses were completely gone… farming communities, including barns completely destroyed,” Kennedy noted. “A lot of things have flattened out. They lost their homes, they lost everything they had.”

Kennedy provides emotional support to residents of the Peach State.

“I provided emotional and spiritual support, a lot of prayer and listening,” Kennedy said. “It’s just… you know, I’m here to listen.”

“I also helped out in the cafeterias, doing some feeding… I know we served over 22,000 meals in Live Oak, Florida,” Kennedy said.

And they do it with very limited resources. Kennedy and her crew are staying at a Douglas senior center, sleeping on cots and using makeshift showers.

She said it’s a small sacrifice considering what others live without.

“They don’t know where they’re going to eat their next meal, they don’t know where they’re going to live,” Kennedy explained. “Many of them are currently living in shelters, so many prayers remain unanswered. Let’s hope their prayers are answered.”

The latest reports on electricity supplies in Georgia show that hundreds of thousands of residents are still without electricity.