“Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things” - Daryn Kagan. This is the case for all of the people whose lives were affected by Hurricane Matthew. Even though Hurricane Matthew brought death and destruction to the U.S. and other countries, it also brought communities together through things such as volunteering.
Before powering through the Southeast Coast of the United States, Hurricane Matthew struck the Caribbeans. Once it reached the Caribbean's it quickly became a hurricane, and peaked on September 30th becoming a category 5 hurricane. It then reached land becoming a category 4 hurricane hitting most of Haiti and Cuba. It later moved on to hammer the Bahamas as a category 3 and 4 storm on October 5th through 6th. After hitting the Caribbean's Matthew moved on to the Southeastern part of the United States hitting states such as Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. In some places of the United States there were wind gust of about 107 miles per hour and rainfall amounts of about 17 inches in other places such as Savannah, Georgia. On October 9th, Matthew moved away from North Carolina when it was then declared a post-tropical storm. After Hurricane Matthew many residents are starting the efforts to clean up what has been destroyed. Now residents In Daytona Beach, Florida, residents starting their efforts to clean up their homes and business that were destroyed after returning home from evacuations from Hurricane Matthew. Now all that is heard is the sound of chainsaws rather than the sound of strong winds and rain. While many are facing the news of coming back to nothing, communities are coming together in their cleaning efforts through organizations such as ‘Crisis Cleanup’. According to an article by Emergency Management “Crisis Cleanup empowers relief organizations to instantly coordinate response efforts in real time, redirecting thousands of volunteers from to waiting lines to survivors' basements.” Crisis Cleanup was developed by and for volunteers, team leaders, and people who work one-on-one with the survivors of hurricane, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Not every client is guaranteed to be served, but the organization maximizes the chance for assistance in a time of need. In conclusion, Hurricane Matthew caused death and destruction to the Southeast coast of the United States and other countries. However, Matthew helped bring communities together in their efforts to help on another continue with their lives. Countless people helped each other clean up what Hurricane Matthew destroyed, bringing the community together as one in a time of need.