A small cadre of Marines from MCAS Cherry Point and local Army National Guard soldiers teamed up September 20, 2018, to give a hand to their civilian neighbors as local communities begin the slow climb back to their feet in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
The Marines, from Cherry Point’s Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron, moved from house to house and street to street in New Bern, North Carolina, handing out food, water and encouragement in some of the city’s worst-hit neighborhoods. Although they were not providing gourmet meals, the military Meals-Ready-To-Eat – or MREs – were received with thankful smiles from beleaguered residents.
Slow-moving Hurricane Florence made landfall on Sept. 14, 2018, with sustained winds hitting 90 mph and a seemingly never-ending barrage of rainfall, leaving flooded homes, destroyed roads, downed power lines … and many people without the most basic necessities.
After every knock on a New Bern home, service members offered much-appreciated food and water. Community members repaid the Marines and Soldiers with thank-yous and warm smiles that were worth far more than the cost of any of the delivered field rations.