Heavy rains and winds already were pushing into South Carolina when Robert Fallaw left Lander University at 1 a.m. Friday, September 27, for his home in Edgefield. Despite flash flood warnings overnight, Fallaw would not be deterred in his efforts to leave.
He was determined: Nothing would prevent him from traveling the next day to Atlanta where he would board a flight for a mission trip to Nicaragua. “It was kind of messy, but I was fine. I was not going to miss my flight,” said Fallaw, a junior education major who plans to become a middle school teacher and baseball coach.
It was Fallaw’s second mission trip to Nicaragua where he joined his fellow Lander student Jacob Rushton to share the gospel with local villagers.
Rushton, of Johnston, a senior business administration major with an emphasis in sports management, said that despite limited technology service in Nicaragua he and Fallaw were able to stay abreast of the news from South Carolina, including the storm’s impact on their families and Lander’s campus.
The storm totaled his father’s truck and left trees and debris at Rushton’s home. “The greatest impact on me was the realization that I wasn’t there to help my family,” said Rushton, who immediately turned to the task of storm cleanup after his trip.
When Fallaw returned home, he went to work to help clear trees in an Aiken neighborhood predominantly occupied by retirees. Fallaw, who has worked with Blue Sky Tree Service since age 14, said, “It mean so much to me to be able to do something to help. We worked to get trees off people’s houses and to clear trees from yards. These were people who would not be able to do this work themselves.”
Lonniesha Charlen Grant-Guyton, a junior from Cleveland, Mississippi, said she realized something was seriously wrong about 4 a.m. Friday when rain began pouring into her off-campus apartment. Despite the challenges to her personal life, Grant-Guyton turned to her role of essential worker on Sunday as an employee at a Dollar General store in Greenwood.
“The experience was hectic to say the least. There were long lines, with customers seeking food and other necessary items for their homes,” said Grant-Guyton. “We sold out of charcoal and lighter fluid in the first 10 minutes of being open.”
Customers were concerned about getting their power restored and being able to take care of their families. “It was a privilege to be able to talk to people. We were all grateful that we had come through the initial part of the storm OK, and no matter what the situation was we didn’t have it as bad as people in other parts our region,” said Grant-Guyton, a nursing major. “We could get it through it together.”
Even before the storm, Chandler Patterson, of Columbia, had decided that his future career would be as a meteorologist for a television station. The experience highlighted the importance of providing weather information to those in need, and intensified his desire to work in the field.
“The storm was pretty much apocalyptic,” said Patterson, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, with an emphasis in science media. “When we ventured out on Friday, we saw the devastation. It was overwhelming.”
Like Grant-Guyton, Patterson interacted with community members through his job as a server at Sports Break, a popular bar and grill near campus. “Talking to customers and hearing their stories kept me updated on what was happening in the community and how the storm was affecting people. It made me very thankful for the linemen who were working in dangerous conditions and doing the best they could to help us.”
He described the experience of continuing to work with the public as “very humbling … I am so appreciative of our community and the kindness we saw, even as people were stressed and worried about what was happening.”
Although her home in Honea Path lost power and debris blocked roads to Greenwood, Nalmary Rivera, a sophomore nursing major, was on the front lines of service in her job at Publix with her brother, Rey Rivera, a senior nursing major – just 24 hours after the storm.
“There were no streetlights or stop lights that were functioning. When we arrived at Publix that day, it was mayhem. We were the only grocery store open, so everyone was coming to Publix. We had a long line of people waiting outside to come in. Inside of the store. It genuinely looked like an apocalypse like you see in the movies. The store was dark, the aisles were crowded, and our shelves were practically empty.”
Even with the disruption, “there were many people that thanked us for being open and for working on such a confusing day. This warmed my heart because it showed that many customers were still appreciative,” she said.
Rivera was grateful, too, for the sense of routine that her work provided. “Not being on campus made me miss walking around and seeing everyone and their smiles,” she said. “It made me miss the buzz and fun that radiates off Lander’s campus daily.”
Jonathon Walker, of Mountville, remained on campus during the campus closure to be accessible to his jobs at Chick-fil-A, a fast-food restaurant, and Publix, where he is one of the grocery store’s pharmacy technicians. His family’s home lacked power and water, and travel was difficult because of roads impacted by the storm. “I was thankful for my running water at Lander, even if it was cold.”
He was eager to work, too. “Serving the public at Publix Pharmacy and Chick-fil-A did not seem very different from normal,” he said. “I always did my best to provide a great experience to guests at Chick-fil-A, and that hasn't changed in the slightest. I have used that dedication to service excellence at Publix Pharmacy. Even though I may not be the most skilled pharmacy technician, I will be smiling and as helpful as possible.”
Walker, who holds the title Mr. Lander, is a senior business administration major and Presidential Ambassador. He’s ready to share his positive spirit with his classmates. “The rest of the semester, I will be doing my best to help everyone bounce back from this and trying to reschedule events and meetings.”
Returning home to Columbia gave Alyssa Drakes, a freshman art education major and a Teaching Fellow, the opportunity to discuss her education classes at Lander with students at Westwood High School in Blythewood. On their first day back in class, Drakes joined her friends Sylvia Dobbe, a graphics design major from Irmo, and Maddy Waters, a nursing major from Due West, at the Grier Student Center to catch up on their time away from campus.
Each expressed the relief of being back in class and having the camaraderie of their campus friends. “Seeing President (Richard) Cosentino working with campus police officers and Lander staff to serve meals immediately after the storm hit was sweet,” Waters said. “I was very impressed by that. They care about us, and it showed.”
Rushton said that despite students’ varied experiences throughout the storm, one factor became obvious to him: “Everybody here at Lander is more like family than we really thought.”