PETTICOAT JUNCTION --- Nineteen-year-old Lance Cheatham heard there was a need, so he responded.
"I had just seen that they needed help in the community," the Aiken teen said, referring to the Beech Island and Petticoat Junction areas hit hard by Friday night's tornado. "I thought that it would be a good way to show other people the life of Christ."
Mr. Cheatham has volunteered with the Salvation Army since Saturday, offering hours of help in passing out snacks and drinks to workers and residents.
"He's great," said Capt. Angie Repass, a co-director of the Aiken County post of the Salvation Army.
On Monday Mr. Cheatham and Capt. Repass were handing out meals and drinks to those inspecting what was left of the Silver Bluff Volunteer Fire Department's headquarters.
Capt. Repass said it's unusual for someone Mr. Cheatham's age to volunteer as he has. She said her group had distributed more than 600 meals since Saturday night.
She said they've been told they could be needed at the Petticoat Junction and Beech Island areas anywhere from three days to three weeks.
Mr. Cheatham said Monday he wasn't worried about a time frame, adding that he would stay "as long as it takes."
Silver Bluff fire officials said a couple of others also had been invaluable in helping the community.
Levi Green, the board chairman of the Silver Bluff Volunteer Fire Department, used the words "real hero" in describing Andrew Desrosiers, who owns Lumber Jack Tree Experts in Jackson and was among the first to help clear trees from the roads in the Beech Island and Petticoat Junction areas.
Mr. Desrosiers said Monday that he was continuing to do what he could to help people with downed trees.
"I just wanted to help out," he said.
Mr. Green said a Petticoat Junction man named John Phiniezy, affectionately known as D.D., also had been a big help, checking daily on residents to see what help they might need. Several residents in the Petticoat Junction area said they had seen "D.D." making his rounds and that he stayed on the go.
"He's been on a tear with that four-wheeler all weekend," said Mr. Phiniezy's next door neighbor, Douglas Gaines. "He's hard to catch."
Reach Preston Sparks at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
We should have more young people like Lance Cheatham. I would like to say "Thanks" to you for all the help you are giving these people. You are setting a good example for other young people. We should see more of these kinds of articles in the papers. SusieQ
As a resident of Tavelle in Beech Island where we and our neighbors were hit by the tornado, the community itself has been amazing. Michael Hunt and his staff have been A+ on top of everything and so kind and helpful in anyway we could have asked for. The Beech Island Fired Dept., SCE&G and outlying Utility Companies have been A+ and so kind as well. Amazing Grace Church provided delicious meals to many of us yesterday. The only complaint I have is that I saw no insurance disaster tents other than one AllState, and absolutely no media showed up until I think yesterday. I guess the Masters was over by then and they could get over there. I have tickets to the Masters but was unable to attend because we were cleaning up tornado damage, so I am not against the coverage of them but you would think as bad as the damage was in our neighborhoods we would have gotten something Sunday morning. We had people who will loose their entire houses in the neighborhood next to mine so yea it was more than a little wind damage. And for the million people who rode through Tavelle Sunday just to see as if it were a tour of homes, next time wear you cleanup clothes, there was plenty to do!
Actually God sent the tornadoes.