Farr wasn’t in Milton when Hurricane Isaias made landfall Oct. 9. She was cooking for Samaritan’s Purse volunteers in Texas, who are still recovering from catastrophic flash floods that occurred a year ago.
She never thought that she would be on the receiving end of humanitarian relief.
“I kind of knew everything to expect, because I’ve worked disasters before,” she said.
When she returned on Oct. 11, she could not see the Blackwater Heritage Trail from under the debris. From the front, her house looked fine. When she opened her back door, that’s when reality set in.
Six trees down and a shed demolished by the damage.
Her neighbors, Tina and Frank Bailey, rode out the storm at home, with their dog, sheltering in the hallway.
“It was terrifying,” Tina Bailey said. “We thought the roof was going to come off.”
She stepped outside to film the neighborhood as the storm began and ran back inside when a transformer blew.
That’s where Samaritan’s Purse stepped in, according to Gabe Moudy, the nonprofit’s program manager for disaster relief. The group originally staged to the west of the storm in Alabama.
Isaias is his first hurricane with the organization. Driving in, he expected to see damage in Mobile or Foley, Alabama, but saw little until Pensacola. After comparing notes with a team in Escambia County, they found the worst damage in Santa Rosa.
The organization takes its name from the parable of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to care for a stranger beaten and left by the road.
“We try to go out and love our neighbors as well,” Moudy said.
About 100 volunteers are currently working in Northwest Florida, doing everything from clearing fallen trees to tarping roofs or removing drywall and carpet in flooded homes. The service is free and paid for by donations.
The organization is currently working out of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pace.
Volunteers come from across the country, many of them Floridians who have been through hurricanes themselves. Farr said the crew that came to her house the first day came from seven states and included a police officer and a nurse.
“What’s amazing is these folks don’t even know each other until they meet in the morning,” Moudy said.
Moudy told the Santa Rosa Press Gazette that they were expected to leave by early November, but as long as there is a need on the long road of recovery, they can even stay until Thanksgiving.
For locals still needing assistance, residents can call 833-747-1234 to get help from Samaritan’s Purse. To volunteer, call 850-977-9063.