It was just a couple weeks ago that area baseball and softball coach Randy Skaggs appeared with Pat O’Shaughnessy on 1490 WDAN’s CHEERS program to talk about his work helping still recovering hurricane victims, in the North Carolina mountains about 50 miles east of Ashville. About a week ago, President Trump stopped in the area; on his way to visit major fire victims in California.
Skaggs says up until that point the government had been doing nothing. But within a week; Skaggs says promises of getting the Army Corps of Engineers down there; along with getting people moved out of hotels and into homes, and with general major cleanup; are all taking shape.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: Army Corps of Engineers is already there. They have been directed to help with all the bridges. Most of the bridge repair was being done by just fellow Americans; people from like West Virginia, they were coming in. A lot of the people were still living in hotel rooms, and they were supposed to be evicted real soon. But then President Trump came in, and they’ve already set these people up into actual apartments.
Skaggs says the efforts he’s been making to help a nurse he met while down in North Carolina are continuing; with slow and gradual progress.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: It’s pretty difficult going back and fourth. I’ve gone four trips, and I’m getting ready to take my fifth one. I’m working on now getting materials to take down to her; seeing how much I can get donated.
Coach Skaggs says these people down in North Carolina need more miracles. And recently, one came. Inmates at the State Prison will soon be building one of the temporary tiny houses that are needed so badly.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: A gentleman from Danville Area Community College, but he works at the prison. They do the construction building out there with the prisoners. He called me up and said “hey, I hear you’re going down to North Carolina. We’re tired of building bird houses and dog houses; could we build one of those tiny homes for North Carolina?” I just started crying.
That structure will be built up here; so the next miracle will be getting someone with a trailer, who can deliver the tiny house to a family in North Carolina. Randy Skaggs reminds anyone listening that if you can help in any way, call him at 217-474-7310, or e-mail at ECICoach@AOL.com. Also, financial donations can be sent to the United Christian Alliance, P O Box 8310 in Morganton, NC.
Skaggs also mentioned that some of the clothes donated down in North Carolina that ended up not being needed; he has been able to bring back and donate to the Danville Rescue Mission. He’s hoping to be heading back down to North Carolina within the next week.
