‘We’ll get through this’: Neighbors help with tornado recovery efforts in Hampton County
A few dozen people stood inside the Varnville Fire Department on Tuesday morning.
Their boots were dusty and tied tight.
Their safety glasses rested on their heads.
And their hands were ready to work.
The group, which had gathered at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office in Ridgeland about an hour earlier, knew their neighbors needed help.
Now it was time to begin the recovery.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Jasper County Sheriff Chris Malphrus said. “We live in a very rural community, and with these small counties, the manpower and resources are very limited, so it’s important we pull together to help the people in need.”
Malphrus, his deputies and volunteers, traveled together to Hampton County to act as a support unit for local officials there.
Deputy Eddie Gibson, who is also a lieutenant for the Varnville and Cummings fire departments, held maps marked with zones of where the tornado did some of the worst damage.
He knows the area well and helped coordinate Tuesday’s recovery efforts.
Gibson helped assign volunteer crews to survivors’ homes, directing folks with descriptions and markers rather than street names and addresses. He’d tell them to turn left at the damaged brick building or to stop at the “long house” after traveling down U.S. 278 until it turns into S.C. 68.
Before leaving, everyone bowed their heads, and Malphrus led them in prayer.
‘Full recovery mode now’
A little more than five miles away, Hampton residents Juanita and Billy Gooding stood in front of a red brick house with royal blue shutters. Tree limbs and sticks were scattered everywhere.
Juanita’s 96-year-old mother, Erma Adams, lived in the house, and was there when the tornado damaged a stretch of homes along S.C. 68 between Varnville and Fechtig.
The pecan trees that once filled the yard were diminished.
“My mom always said she bought the house the day I was born, and I’m 74. That one pecan tree had been there since then,” Juanita said, pointing to a large stump near the front sidewalk.
Luckily, the home itself was mostly spared, with the exception of a piece of shed that broke a back window.
That wasn’t the case for Juanita’s daughter, who lives with her husband about 10 miles away on Lento Road. There, multiple homes were ravaged. More homes along the road in the Nixville community were also damaged. Some were a total loss.
Everyone was safe though, and that was what was important to the Goodings.
“The Lord has been with us through all of this,” Juanita said. “We can replace things, but we can’t replace our people.”
Somewhere between 200 and 250 people in the area were directly affected by the tornado, Hampton County emergency management director Susanne Peeples said.
“We’re all praying, and we’ll get through this,” she said. “We’re pulling all of our resources together to help whoever we can however we can.”
She said anyone who would like to donate items — such as bottled water, non-perishable food, toiletries, gloves, and masks — can drop them off at the Nixville Baptist Church or the Hampton County Recreation Department. The community has already begun giving back, she said.
As time goes on, what’s most needed becomes more apparent, gasoline for generators and portable toilets.
It’ll be awhile before the areas the tornadoes destroyed return to normal, if that’s even possible.
“We’re in full recovery mode now,” Hampton County administrator Rose Dobson-Elliott said. “I’m sure we have a long road ahead, but we’re staying optimistic and keeping everyone focused and coordinated.”
She said she’s proud of the community response, but isn’t surprised.
“Hampton County always pulls together like this in a time of crisis,” she said. “We’re also thankful for all of the help from our neighboring counties.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
