Rhonda and I went to Coalwood on June 19. We were amazed at the progress that has taken place in the last 30+ days. Coalwood is on an Uphill Swing! The spirits are higher and the town is looking better. The National Guard pulled on on June 16. FEMA is still there and the cleanup goes on. Lots of house have been marked for demolition. The houses that can be rebuilt are on the mend and the residents are living in trailers provided by FEAM. The danaged house trailers in Middle Town have now all been removed. The State Road has done a great job in filling in the ditches and replacing the drains. The most precious sight we saw were the volunteers from different Church groups who came from all over the state and country. These young people and their counselors are truly a blessing for the residents in Coalwood. They are working from morning until late in the evening helping to clean out houses, etc. These kids are not afraid to use a paint bursh or a mop. They are doing what ever they can to help get the town back on its feet. We paused to watch a group determined to get the swimming poll open. It was wonderful watching those young kids. They were singing and laughing and happy while they worked like busy bees with rakes and paint burshes. The Coalwood Pool will open and the summer fee has been waived for all the kids in Coalwood this summer to swim free. The Elders of the Coalwood Community know the children need something else besides the daily task of cleaning mud and debris from their homes. The Church at Mudhole will open a young camp on June 24 for the kids in Coalwood. The base ball little league field is still a long way from being useable, but Cassell Park is in super shape, thanks to the employees of AT&T from Charleston, WV. These wonderful people just showed up one day and volunteered a days work to clean up the park . The Rocket Site is in useable condition, but nothing less than a few hours with an endloader could fix the rest. The people of Coalwood have a long way to go, but I have seen that old spark of pride back in their eyes and getting brighter each day as their love of Coalwood is still just as strong. The progress that has been accomplished in the past few weeks is still amazing as they continue to clean up and fix up. I have seen determinatin in those tired, but yet high spirited hearts as they work hard get their homes and community back to normal.
