Nearly two years after it was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, Pine Terrace Volunteer Fire Department received a new fire station. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $383,315.34 in Disaster Recovery Grant Program funds to help complete the rebuilding of the station and to replace the rescue vehicle.
“We actually had about four feet of standing water in the station,” said Todd Allen, Fire Chief of Pine Terrace Volunteer Fire Department. “We had to take our firetrucks to a pad at Alamac Knitting. We worked our calls out of that parking lot for over a year and a half.”
While Allen was rescuing people from their homes, his own home was flooded.
“I had to tear my house down,” said Allen. “I built back on the same land but raised it up. Firefighters from Goldston, N.C. came and built my house in one weekend. That was huge. It helped me to be able to focus on helping others.”
Allen said that Golden LEAF support was crucial for the fire station and the community.
“Without Golden LEAF, we wouldn’t have been able to move forward,” said Allen. “Golden LEAF was our lifeline.”
About the Disaster Recovery Grant Program
Many North Carolina firefighters found themselves in need of aid when their own stations and homes were being flooded during Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. After helping others survive the disaster, these departments found relief from the Golden LEAF Disaster Recovery Grant Program.
The State of North Carolina provided funds to the Golden LEAF Foundation to make grants to governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofits to repair or replace infrastructure and equipment damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Michael, and Dorian. Golden LEAF Disaster Recovery Grant Program funds have supported 11 fire station projects totaling nearly $10 million.