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Treasure Valley disaster cleanup crew helping with Florence aftermath

Many homeowners and business owners in the Carolinas are returning to what's left of their properties to assess the damage, and Idaho SERVPRO crews are helping them restore and reduce further damage.

NEW BERN, North Carolina — Rain stopped falling in the Carolinas, but rivers continue to rise - compounding the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Companies from the Treasure Valley rushed thousands of miles to North Carolina to help in the flooding crisis. SERVPRO of Boise and Meridian/Eagle/Star is one of those companies, with boots on the ground helping with clean-up.

Hurricane Florence brought heavy rain and storm surges, flooding rivers, homes and roads. The flood waters and death toll are still rising in her wake, and local SERVPRO crews felt the need to be there and help victims hit the hardest.

RELATED: Boise-based company helping fight Hurricane Florence flooding in S. Carolina

KTVB spoke with the owner of the company, Chris Isaacson, on Wednesday about what they're seeing in the wake of the devastation.

The North and South Carolina governors stood alongside President Trump Wednesday warning people to brace for more flooding and more damage. Towns throughout the Carolinas are swallowed by water and roads remain shut down. Rescue crews are continuing large-scale search and rescue operations on a daily basis.

Evacuees are urged to stay away from their homes because the destruction is far from over.

“You'll have multiple teams that are on a charity capacity out here, you know, everything from the Red Cross to Billy Graham. There's a bunch of different teams that have mobilized and they will go neighborhood to neighborhood, seeing what people need, handing out food and water” Isaacson told KTVB over the phone. "Whatever they can, you know, just toiletries, supplies and there's a lot of unity, a lot of churches that will come out to volunteer to help with the demolition of the homes, the damage that's going on."

Among crews working around the clock to help victims is SERVPRO Boise and Meridian/Eagle/Star.

“You have entire neighborhoods, people crying out front and everything they've ever owned is essentially destroyed. Their house that they have worked their whole life for. Same thing with their business is out of business so they can't make revenue to pay the bills. So it's just a very humbling environment,” Isaacson said.

Isaacson and eight of his Treasure Valley employees flew to Nashville last Friday then drove to New Bern, North Carolina, on Saturday where the nightmare continues for those in the epicenter of the hurricane.

“We try to get as close to the disaster zone as possible,” Isaacson added.

As homeowners and business owners return to what's left and assess the damage, SERVPRO is helping them restore by removing debris, damaged drywall and insulation to combat further damage from mold.

“It's total chaos, you know, you go into any grocery store and there's nothing on the shelves, you go into Lowe's and there's nothing on the shelves; you can't buy a hammer, you can't buy the humidifier, there's just... It's chaos,” Isaacson said. "There's just no real way to explain the damage."

Local SERVPRO crews will likely be out there for another month or two, they say, and want to continue helping victims until the need dwindles.

Employees from the Treasure Valley travel all over the country in the aftermath of large-scale wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and ice storms.

If you want to help Florence victims you can make a donation to the Red Cross, by calling 1-800-Red-Cross, or text the word "Florence" to 90-999.

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