On May 2, 2020 we headed down to Aurora NC to figure out just how to get a 32″ elm tree off of Mrs. Marilyn Miller’s house. I calculated the weight of this tree at ~ 26,500 pounds – not including the root ball. 11 of us made it down eventually, including our ERT instructor Greg. Dave had trouble with his loader / trailer and had the good sense to send out an SOS to the whole team. Keith M. had the good sense to see it and call me at 4:45 AM while I was on the way down early. Keith then drove 8 hours to pick up his loader and come save the day for us!! Wow, what a team! We practiced social distancing the best we could – see group photo. Mrs. Miller and her son Will worked beside us all day. We adapted to and over-came rigging problems including the tree starting to stand back up before we were finished on the roof. I do not possess the words to adequately thank everyone for such a safe and successful day.
When the last group was about to leave, I turned to my truck to back the trailer out when I heard “I Love You” coming from Mrs. Miller. I turned around to see her crying, and with tears in my eyes I told her that we loved her too. We were “Paid in Full” by a loving heart that had nothing but Love and Blessings to give us. She did not even have electricity or running water.
“Do not tell God how big your storm is – tell the storm how big your God is”
Climbing For Christ!
Cullen Whitley, Disaster Response Team