1996 Hurricane Fran

Hurricane Fran struck the North Carolina coast on September 5, 1996 with sustained winds of 115 mph. The highest wind gust was unofficially measured at 137 mph. Mike’s work responsibilities at Prudential kept him from volunteering for a three week assignment. Since Fran was a North Carolina hurricane, he was able to volunteer on the weekends.

The Red Cross headquarters for Fran was located in the UAW Hall in Colfax, NC. Mike was a logistics courier. He shuttled paperwork between Burlington, Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh chapters and shelter. He also delivered supplies. Most of these areas had been affected by the hurricane. Mike would collect DO’s (disbursing orders) and 901’s (client case history) from the shelters and bring them back to headquarters. He did this for about three weeks.