BLESSED … Cloey Whitman says she feels blessed to have been given the opportunity to aid those in need.
(PHOTOS PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
TEAMWORK … Pictured is the volunteer team Whitman worked with during her time.
By: Breana Reliford
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Cloey Whitman was born and raised in Edgerton, Ohio, and knew from a young age she had a passion for helping people.
When she heard about the hurricane damage and the crisis people were in, she applied to volunteer her life-saving services. The next thing she knew, she was on her way one week later to Burnsville, North Carolina.
Whitman graduated from Edgerton High School in 2018 and began to further her education at the University of Findlay and Michigan State University shortly after.
She currently works for the Williams County EMS and the Hicksville and Edgerton Fire Departments, providing aid to Williams County residents for about six years now.
After she learned through Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian missionary organization, about the high demand for EMTs and volunteers in North Carolina, she applied online and made the trip solo.
When she reached North Carolina, she met with a team of other individuals who were also providing support to the victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Whitman spent about five days working around the clock to help those in need. First starting in Burnsville, North Carolina, and then heading further to Perry, Florida, outside of Tallahassee.
When asked to describe what she saw when she first arrived, Whitman stated, “I saw a lot of gut-wrenching things such as children’s clothes all over the road, car doors were swung open from them being flooded, along with tons of trees everywhere.”
She went on to say, “One of the creepiest things I saw [was] a metal bed frame about 12 feet in the air just hanging on a tree, the roads were crumbling, it was a very sad sight to see.”
The devastating sights Whitman saw when she first arrived were heartbreaking. Lives destroyed, families torn apart, and loved ones lost.
Most of her time spent down there involved aiding those who lost their homes. Clearing out debris from yards, going through what items in the house were salvageable, and preparing houses for contractors to come to evaluate the situation and begin the remodeling process.
She gave her help wherever and whenever it was needed. With her background in medical and fire services, she was quite knowledgeable about using different equipment and tools.
Whitman states her background in fire and EMS gave her the opportunity to provide relief to those residents and answer the call for help.
Cloey and her team were also able to pray for the homeowners and listen to their stories. It was a very eye-opening experience hearing the first-hand accounts of those who had their lives taken from them in the blink of an eye.
Since then, she has arrived safely back home. She shared that this was a trip that will stick with her forever, and she feels blessed and thankful for where she lives and for her family and friends who supported her throughout the entire trip.