Charles Warner | The Union Daily Times / SPECIAL TO THE MANNING TIMESThe bucket in this picture was the last one in Union County according to those collecting relief supplies for flood victims Friday morning. All the buckets like this one were filled with cleaning supplies to be sent to flood victims in Clarendon County who will be using them to help start cleaning up their homes as the flood waters recede. The relief effort is scheduled to continue Monday morning and more donations of bottled water, food, clothing, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies and, of course, buckets are being requested.
By Charles Warner
The UNION DAILY TIMES
civitasmedia.com
UNION COUNTY — There were no buckets left in Union County Friday more as they had all been filled with cleaning supplies and sent down to Clarendon County to help flood victims begin cleaning up their homes.
Since Tuesday, Union County Sheriff’s Office personnel, together with volunteers, have been collecting relief supplies for residents of the areas of South Carolina hit by the catastrophic flooding caused by unusually heavy rains that fell on the state last weekend. When the effort began, the emphasis was on collecting bottled water for transportation and distribution to places like Columbia and Sumter where thousands had been without running water because of the flooding.
While even on the first day some other basic necessities were donated to the relief effort, the main emphasis was on, and the bulk of the donations were of, bottle water. In the days that followed, however, as the needs of those affected by the floods became more clear, the relief effort expanded to include basic necessities such as food, personal hygiene products, paper goods, blankets, clothing, shoes, and even dog and cat food. These, along with more bottled water, continued to be collected by the sheriff’s office personnel and the volunteers and transported to parts of Columbia and Sumter County.
As of Friday morning, however, the relief effort had expanded to include cleaning supplies to help flood victims begin cleaning up their homes as the flood waters recede.
Volunteer David “Tubo” Owens said Friday that the cleaning supplies were being requested by people in the affected areas. Owens said that, just as they had made care packages filled with personal care products for distribution to the flood victims, sheriff’s office personnel and volunteers were now making similar packages filled with cleaning supplies. While the personal care items were placed in plastic bags, Owens said the cleaning supplies were placed in buckets which could also be used by the flood victims in cleaning up their homes.
Each bucket contains reusable gloves, sponges, wipes and disinfectant wipes, hand soap, a scrub brush, and all purpose cleaning spray.
By the middle of Friday morning, another five trucks and four trailers loaded with bottle water, personal care products, food and cleaning products had departed from the parking lot next to Hardee’s where the collections have been taking place. Unlike on previous days when they went to Columbia and Sumter County, these supplies were being taken to Clarendon County.
The parking lot was largely empty at that point, though one bucket filled with cleaning supplies remained and, according to Owens, it was the only one of its kind left in Union County.
“We got all the buckets in Union County,” Owens said. “We got all the buckets from the stores and filled them with cleaning supplies and sent them down to Clarendon County. It will be Tuesday before there are any buckets back in Union County.”
Charles Warner can be reached at 864-762-4090 or cwarner@civitasmedia.com.
