WINEBEGO CITY, N.C.�Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and staff persons of other congressional members, along with others who just wanted to help, packed 10 Greyhound-donated buses during the cold and dark hours on Nov. 6 and headed for the flood-ravaged area of eastern North Carolina. The day was billed as a National Day of Hope and Renewal. It was spearheaded by Congresswoman Eva Clayton, whose First Congressional District was the most devastated by Hurricane Floyd and the flooding of the Tar River.

"What is going on in North Carolina is not just the loss of homes, it is the loss of hope," said Black Caucus Chair James E. Clyburn (D-SC), who rode Bus No. 1 with his democratic colleagues, Reps. Clayton, Barbara Lee (CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA), and Rep. Melvin Watt (NC). "I don�t think any of us can really know what it means to walk out of your front door and see coffins in your front yard that have bubbled up from graves, to have almost 200 coffins floating down the road."

Rather than just sending money or clothes, this trip was touted as "hands on."

"We often pray that the good Lord will make us instruments of His peace. We are on this trip today to let these people know that those prayers are being answered; that we are in fact instruments of God�s peace and will, and we want them to know that our being there is part of their prayers being answered," Rep. Clyburn said.

Noting that it may take 15-20 years for the people of North Carolina to reestablish themselves, Rep. Clyburn said the CBC has to help, especially since Eva Clayton is a Caucus member and hers is the hardest hit and most devastated area. The entire town of Princeville, in Edgecombe County, the oldest town chartered by Blacks in America, incorporated in 1885, is just one town that has been rendered uninhabitable.

The magnitude of the problem facing North Carolina was somewhat delineated by Jim McKlesky of Gov. Hunt�s Washington office, who said the Governor is working with both state and federal agencies to secure help. He noted the difficult time in the federal budget process to secure money because "most of the bills are written, most of the deals are done, the money has been allocated and now here we come looking for real resources, not just a little, but a lot."

"There is no bottom line on damages, but we are seeking in emergency help just under $1.9 billion from Congress and federal agencies," Mr. McKlesky said. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Education, and the Small Business Administration are all being coordinated for existing funding.

The State Emergency Response Team has declared more than 43,000 homes were damaged as a result of the storm: 6,875 destroyed, 16,300 uninhabitable and 35,117 which sustained damage but are habitable. In addition, 77 road sections remain closed, 13 bridges remain washed out, settled or otherwise closed. Damage to water treatment and delivery systems and sewer systems have an estimated restoration cost of $97.5 million. Estimated utility restoration costs are near $100 million. In addition, there are the crop, livestock, nursery and forestry losses totaling an estimated $808 million.

But residents of Princeville still are suspicious about the events that led to the destruction of their town, particularly why no one was warned that a dam was going to be released, which residents feel caused the flooding.

Princeville Mayor Delia Perkins said that since there is no proof that the dam was released in an improper manner, there is little that can be done.

As the Greyhound bus caravan made its way down Interstate 95, some wondered what they would encounter in North Carolina. They had come with hammers, crow bars, masks and gloves that they would use to strip the damp, moldy sheet rock from the interior of some homes, some of which they had seen pictures of when the water was up to the roof tops.

At 10 a.m. the busses rolled into what is locally referred to as Winebago City, the housing development set up by FEMA at Fountain Industrial Park that houses 1,200 displaced families, for a scheduled press conference. There, caucus members Waters and Rangel, former D.C. Delegate Walter Fauntroy and Radio One�s Joe Madison, joined by the bus delegation, were welcomed by Mayor Perkins, Gov. Hunt and Senator Edwards.

During the press conference, buses took the more than 500 volunteers to Wilson, Nash, Wayne, Greene, and Pitt counties as well as Edgecombe County for a one-day push to remove furnishings, tear out walls, clean up debris, clean up a park, install electrical outlets, pull up carpet, and paint.

The volunteers included fifth graders of Somerset Elementary School in Chevy Chase, Md. The elementary school donated a 50-foot tractor-trailer truck full of winter clothes for the N.C. school they adopted. In addition, Somerset�s children collected $2,500 that they donated to the N.C. Rural Center/CBC Fund. The CBC is not administering any funds but is funneling all assistance through the center, a state-chartered non-profit group.

Rep. Rangel emphasized to reporters that the Congressional Black Caucus is "in this for the long haul."

Brenda Hunter�s Princeville home was one of hundreds needing to be purged of its contaminated contents to dry out and stripped to the frame. Orange "Xs" on the homes mark those that are condemned.

"They came and did in a matter of hours what I�ve been trying to get done for the past two weeks," she said. "Thank y�all so much."

But while Ms. Hunter cried tears of joy for the help she received, half a block away, another resident cried tears of frustration because she received FEMA approval for a $98,000 loan, but has yet to receive the money. And even when she does, she won�t be able to afford the payments, the resident said.

The day of touring and working concluded with a gospel benefit concert at the Wright Auditorium of East Carolina University in Greenville, followed by a candlelight vigil where the volunteers joined the local people and sang "This Little Light of Mine."