Written By: 4/C Luis Ramirez

Today was our 9th day of our Experiential Learning trip in Western North Carolina. We started the day with a 0630 wake up and then a quick breakfast and then got ready to begin our day of volunteer work. We split into two groups, one of which went back to Marshall to continue assisting the community there. The second group; the one I was in, ventured to Hot Springs, NC to help remove debris from a plot of land surrounded on both sides by the French Broad river. This area was affected by Helene with mass floods. The site we visited was littered with various types of debris, such as pvc piping, tires, wooden planks and pallets, and strangely a toilet. We worked hard to remove these items from the surrounding environment, and bring them to a drop site where they can eventually be removed by transport trucks. We cleared large logs and brush in order to get to the debris, being as thorough in our removals as possible. Our involvement in this job relates to our education in the emergency management field as we were removing materials from the natural environment in order to help return the area to a somewhat normal and natural state. Although most areas cannot 100% return to normal after a disaster, we did our best to get it back to as close to that as possible. Some of the materials we removed, such as the plastic pvc pipes and tires are hazardous to the environment. It was essential to remove these materials because the property owners plan to conduct a controlled burn on the site. Removing the hazardous material before they can do that prevents toxic fumes and chemicals from being released into the air and environment. A major part of the emergency management field is preventing the spread of toxic chemicals and materials after a disaster. After our work in Hot Springs, we made the drive back to the cabin, where we were able to relax until it was time from dinner around 1915. We skipped our evening debrief today, thankfully. But that about wraps up the day.