- April 16, 2024
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Palm Coast resident Mike Mangum works the chainsaw at a house in the C-section. Photos by Brian McMillan
Abe Mills works with his sons, Tyson, Jordan and Jackson. They returned to town Sunday morning after evacuating and immediately began working on other people's houses.
Chloe Raymond refused to take a break!
The roots of this tree on Farraday Lane left a crater about eight feet deep.
Jenny and Billy Whitley live at the home where this tree fell.
Jenny and Billy Whitley
For some neighborhoods in Palm Coast, hurricane relief came dressed in yellow T-shirts.
After Hurricane Matthew, 1,300 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered from around Florida and showed up in Volusia County and Flagler County to help cut down trees and do all manner of other cleanup after the storm.
Dozens of local members of the Bunnell-based congregation joined in the effort, as well, on Sunday, Oct. 9. Dressed in jeans and work clothes, they met for a brief sacrament service in the chapel (an open door and a lantern provided the only light into the building, which was still without power), and then church was adjourned so that everyone who was able could assist with the cleanup.
Work crews scattered around Flagler County, working on houses with as little damage as some branches lying on the grass to other houses with enormous trees down.
Eventually, many of the crews ended up on Farraday Lane, surrounding the home of Billy and Jenny Whitley. Most Farraday lawns were carpeted with Spanish moss that Hurricane Matthew had raked from the towering oak trees. In the Whitleys’ backyard, one of those towering oak trees had been taken down as well.
The scene was dramatic, with the root structure having been lifted entirely out of the ground, leaving a crater about 6 or 8 feet deep. Billy Whitley said that some time ago he paced out 75 feet to estimate how tall the tree was.
Turning to look at the tree, now lying on the ground, he said, “Now you can probably use a tape measure.”
As dozens of church volunteers swarmed around the tree, cutting it up with chainsaws and hauling branches to the front yard, the scene was surreal for Whitley.
“It’s always weird when it’s your house,” he said.
He felt fortunate that the tree fell parallel to his house and not on top of it. Moreover, he said, it was lucky that, about a year ago, the neighbor had removed a similarly large tree that was even closer to the house.
If you have trouble in your yard and want some help, volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are still available. The efforst are coordinated at crisiscleanup.org. To report a need for help, call 800-451-1954.
Eddie Brouse is the Bunnell congregation's bishop, an unpaid position which is the equivalent of the senior pastor in many churches. He reflected later in the week on the brief church service that he presided over on Sunday.
"Everybody who talked to me said those 15-minute church services were among the most spiritual church services they’ve ever had," he said. "That’s just because when you serve your fellow man, you serve Christ. It’s just wonderful."
About 260 volunteers from Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando areas worked specifically in Flagler County, in addition to about 40 volunteers from the Bunnell congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The rest of the 1,000 volunteers who worked in Volusia County came from all around Florida: Titusville, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Gainesville, and other cities.
Jesse Thorpe, a Palm Coast resident, is one of the counselors in the DeLand Stake presidency. He also helped with the hurricane cleanup and said there was a “great spirit of service.”
