News

It wasn’t that long ago that Hurricane Matthew blew through and dumped torrential rain and high winds on Eastern North Carolina. The damage was substantial...thousands of people were made homeless, the Tar River, Lumber River and Neuse river were all far out of their banks, and Lumberton, Princeville, Fair Bluff, Kinston and other smaller communities were underwater for days on end.

While state and federal emergency management are certainly a big help in a situation like this, it’s neighbors helping neighbors that really do a lot of the heavy lifting.  And it’s this sort of adversity that brings out the best in many of us, as we all pitch in together to help each other at the local, neighborhood and house-to-house level. In towns like Kinston, improvised relief efforts sprang up as residents pitched in to help bring supplies to flood-stricken families and hungry kids.

It’s because we know we can’t wait for FEMA or the National Guard to show up and help us out – our needs are more immediate than that. More than that, though, it’s because we’re good people with a sense of responsibility and commitment to our neighbors and our communities. Canoes, rowboats and kayaks making their way through flood waters to check on homes and pets. Volunteers pitching in at the Red Cross, Salvation Army, food banks and churches. Neighbors helping people on their streets drag ruined furniture and belongings out of houses, preparing them to be gutted for remodeling.

It’s been heartening to see this sort of effort and see the best side of humanity in the face of a disaster like Matthew. While it’s never easy to get through a situation like this, where so many have lost so much, we can all help each other out and spread the load a bit. At Black’s Tire and Auto Service, we’re so glad to see this kind of thing happening. It’s one of the things that makes us proud to be Carolinians, proud to be Americans and proud to be your neighbors. We’re overwhelmed and gratified to see things play out this way, and we’re here to help you all in any way that we can.