Florida has a long way to go to recover from the damage of Hurricane Irma, but Rowan County Salvation Army staff and volunteers have been there to help residents pick up the pieces, said Salisbury Corps Capt. NaKisha Carr.

“It could be us. At a flip of the coin, it could be us,” Carr said.

Carr, along with sister-in-laws Melissa and Daisy Cline, were staged in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday and arrived in Starke, Florida, on Wednesday at the Salvation Army’s Camp Keystone. Carr is in Clay County focusing on the Middleburg area while the Clines are in St. Johns and some parts of St. Augustine helping with a mobile feeding team.

Carr said there hasn’t been as much media attention in these parts of Florida even though many people there are without power and have had just as much devastation as in other areas. She said she knows there’s no way to cover all aspects of the flooding, power outages and outright devastation from the hurricanes.

One man Carr met said his house was about 17 feet off the ground and he still had some flooding.

Carr has met many people who’ve lost everything.

“Several neighbors have lived here 30 years and they say, ‘This is the worst I’ve seen.’ People have said they’ve lost everything and don’t know how they will recover or if they will recover,” Carr said.

She said most of the people she’s met say they are happy they are alive and still standing and are optimistic they will make it.

Some people have just been able to get out of their homes after utility lines were repaired and roads cleared of debris.

Carr said she feels as though the people she’s encountered have done more for her than she’s been able to do for them. She’s been blessed and uplifted by their positive attitudes.

“Things are just things. They come and go. They are there to cry, and I’m here to be that shoulder to cry on. And they are angry, and I’m here to listen to them,” she said.

Carr said her role is to be an “emotional and spiritual specialist” and to listen and talk to those affected by the hurricane.

She and the other volunteers start their days about 8 a.m. and end the day between 9 and 11 p.m.

“You are tired, sweaty and achy but are glad to be tired, sweaty and achy,” Carr said.

The Salvation Army has deployed the three women for a total of 14 days. The women left Tuesday and are expected to return Sept. 27, unless they are needed elsewhere.

“As need changes, we can go anywhere. I expect we are here today and tomorrow and they will be in their area. We are prepared for change,” she said.

She said with their deployment in Florida, there is a skeletal crew in Salisbury, but the agency is still providing services locally.

The Salvation Army has provided 680,441 meals in response to Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, 10,317 food boxes and 4,801 cleanup kits.

The Florida area Salvation Army cannot at this time accept in-kind donations, she said, because at this point it has nowhere to put donated items. Financial donations can be made by phone by calling 1-800-725-2796 (1-800-SAL-ARMY). Credit-card donations are accepted by phone.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.