Union University sent volunteers to help in Waverly
WAVERLY, TN (WNBJ)-
It’s been over a week since the deadly flood in Waverly and the surrounding areas and support from West Tennessee continues. Students and faculty from Union went to serve on Saturday. They were assigned to help Waverly resident Ben Muha who is a senior at Union.
“It means everything to me. It means the world to me to see that there’s some help coming here. There are some just decent humans willing to take up their time and their Saturday to come here and help me and my family,” says Ben Muha.
Ben Muha led three teams of volunteers from Union. They were divided between his uncle’s house and his mom’s jewelry store. Both buildings were submerged in five feet of water during the flood last week. About twenty students from Union gave up their Saturday to serve their friend Ben Muha.
“I could tell how affected he was by it and I love the guy… I couldn’t imagine this happening in a matter of hours there are just houses that are destroyed. Things are just ruined, I can’t imagine what it was like, so I just thought it would just be a good way to show my friend that I loved him, and I cared for him and his town, the place he cares about,” says Addison Coleman.
The floodwaters left the interior of the home completely destroyed. The team at the jewelry store cleaned while the team at the home ripped out all of the wet interior. One of Muha's friends says that he could tell how this disaster has affected him.
“he was very distraught and the way he was talking about it like this city is very important to him and his family. There’s nothing else better to do than to come and help him out, so I got some boys together and we all decided to come out,” says Khari Wilson-Ross.
Muha was grateful to everyone that came to help his family and his hometown, “These people behind me they’re the greatest thing to ever happen to this town. We’re just a small town in the middle of nowhere and yet these people found a reason to come out here and help us.”
After they finished gutting the house the guys spent the rest of the day helping others in Waverly. Despite all of the volunteers, the work is far from over. Union university plans to send more volunteers this week.