The past several days have been surreal, tracking Hurricane Dorian as it dispensed its wrath on the Bahamas and began making its way toward South Carolina. As we prepared for and endured the storm—all the while doing everything in our power to help those already impacted—I was amazed by the resilience of the human spirit, including my firm family at Mike Kelly Law Group.

Our lead paralegal in Myrtle Beach, Linda Willis, lives in the border community of Loris, SC. It, like the rest of the state, shares a rich history, and she has lived there all of her life. On Thursday morning, at approximately 7:00am, one of Linda’s granddaughters alerted her to an ominous noise from outside, which turned out to be the sound of a humongous tree being ripped from her front yard by a tornado! Linda instinctively grabbed her grandkids in time to shelter them, as best as she could, from the next and even more terrifying boom—that of a utility pole being hurled to the ground immediately by their home. Thanks be to God that no one was injured, though the experience will be seared in her and her granddaughters’ memories forever. 

And while Linda and her family were praying for their survival, MKLG’s rising-star litigation attorney, Karlen Senn, was already actively working alongside her family to get supplies and aid to her many loved ones living in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas—some of whom are injured or even missing, all of whom are facing unimaginable hardship. Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas and stripped thousands of inhabitant—including those who are as, in effect, family to Karlen and her daughter—of their homes, their livelihoods, and their access to basic human necessities. But while the gravity of the situation could easily be debilitating, but rather than caving under its weight, Karlen and her family immediately began getting relief efforts underway. They are working with Southeast Rescue and Relief to get generators, tents, tarps, and other staples to the island, and plan to deliver the first load of supplies this weekend.**

The wreckage that Hurricane Dorian left in its wake is utterly devastating, and I will not pretend that there was any silver lining in its storm clouds. But I can find inspiration in the strength and perseverance that arises in response to such tragedy, like that demonstrated by Karlen and Linda. The road to recovery will be a long and arduous one, but not insurmountable. While Dorian may have been one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, hope, community, and human will are stronger. The sun will shine again!