CARBON COUNTY, Pa. — A small pile of items sits outside the Lehigh and Lausanne Volunteer Fire Company near Weatherly, waiting to be sent south to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
For Assistant Chief Christopher Sewell, this devastation hits close to home.
"I'm actually a native of east Tennessee, and it breaks my heart to see my fellow brother and sisters suffering like they are."
The department has opened its doors to collect as much as it can.
"They have lost everything. They are in need of basically everything: water, non-perishable foods, you name it. They need everything," said Assistant Chief Sewell.
Along with a collection of basic necessities, the fire company is thinking about what their fellow first responders need.
"We are even trying to contact some of the fire departments down there that have lost things because we have extra equipment laying around," explained Chief Tim Rossman, Lehigh and Lausanne Fire Co.
"We are a small rural community, and this could have happened to us as easily as it happened to them," added Assistant Chief Sewell.
Organizers say the firehouse isn't the only drop-off location. Other businesses in the area are collecting for them as well.
"Forest Hills Nursing Home in Weatherly and Weavers Auto Service in Beaver Meadows, they are acting as collection points, and it will end up here," said Chief Rossman.
Volunteers will be driving those supplies down to Tennessee and North Carolina.
The Lehigh and Lausanne Volunteer Fire Company will collect items for as long as they can to help those impacted by Helene.