It really gets down to people helping people.
You know, you're fire and emergency services
but, at the same time, you're human.
There were a number of times during this storm
that we made some decisions and did some things that had never
been done and I feel quite certain lives
would have been lost if we hadn't done the things we did.
It becomes really apparent the people
that are here and what they're willing to do
to save somebody else.
Because they put their self in harm's way
to save people and that's what we're here for.
But it still gets--
it touches your heart.
You know, you really get to see how far people
will go to save somebody else.
Well, the storm here was so bad it hovered over this area
and dropped approximately 30 inches of rain.
We've heard stories up to 100 miles an hour.
We've heard 70, 80 miles an hour--
enough not to uproot a tree, but just to snap it in half.
Friday, when the storm actually was here,
we took 599 calls which is--
I mean, a normal day is 160, 180.
Got in a boat, went and got somebody out of their premises
or had to take them out to her car--
somebody who had to leave their home due to water being in it.
There is a lot of water in a lot of homes in our community.
The most I've ever seen.
These are your heroes.
You want to give someone the glory and credit?
Give it to the first responders who
went out into the storm risking their lives.
There was times when the water was rising,
we had all our teams-- they were out.
They were doing what they had been assigned.
And we had a team calling in distress.
And then we had another team that we couldn't
get communication with.
And that's as real as it gets.
Today, I just hit a wall and you just have to push through it.
It sucks.
All of our families and friends are devastated.
I mean, a lot of people have lost entire homes.
We have officers that have nowhere to live.
And just seeing everybody come together
and everyone offer something has been really awesome.
Our focus is on everyone.
But there's a special place in our hearts
for first responders.
We know that when we get them healthy,
they can do more because they have a clear conscience
and a clear mind.
And our job is to help them along
in that path to provide emotional care
and spiritual care as needed.
They've so emptied themselves out
and they're still thinking about other people,
I just wish the community could see the first responders
the way I have seen it.
There is not a selfish bone in these people's body.
They would just rather help other people than even
think about themselves.
So hold hands here.
Lord, we just pray Your blessings upon this department.
We pray Your blessings upon each and every member of all
the families here represented.
And, Lord, we just praise You for all You're going to do.
And we just thank You, Lord.
In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
For 35 years, I worked for High Point fire department
and rose to the rank of deputy chief within the department.
And public service has always been kind of--
had a special place in my heart.
As everybody else evacuates, as everybody else runs,
these guys run in.
This is their community.
They are in the same attack, the same disaster,
worries that everybody else is about, but you still do it
and you still love it because you're serving
and you're loving people.
And that's what it's really all about.
I think that's why they continue to do it
and they continue to want to do it.
Every person who tells us that this person is
worse off than I am, he's worse off, he's hit harder.
And there's no set formula for it other than to tell them,
Jesus Christ came for you.
He left the 99 and went after the one.
In this case, you're the one He wants.
He wants you to know how much He loves you.
That's why He sent the chaplains.
That's why He sent Samaritan's Purse.
That's why we're here--
to pray with you and to lift up your spirits.
They see more.
They hear more.
They experience more than the average person.
They see things that people shouldn't see.
The quicker we can start talking about those things
and how we can address their needs,
the better off they're going to be in the long run.
And that's what we want.
We want them to be healthy.
We want them to live good, solid lives.
The mobile ministry center is behind us and it's a respite.
We've had nonstop activity since we've opened this place up
and we've prayed with everyone who's been in there.
It's so much about prayer.
We need your prayers to cover our teams,
to pray in more volunteers to get the work done.
To pray in supplies for the people here.
Please pray for us.
We really need your prayers.
God bless you.