Lake Charles small business owner Melinda Coker will be driving to North Carolina next week to deliver goods to disaster victims — and she’s putting the word out for those who want to pitch in and help.

“I have a Honda CRV, but I am hoping to secure a truck and trailer so that I can deliver more,” she said.

Her parents, Don and Charlene Ward, live in Whittier, N.C. Similar to what happened after Hurricane Laura, smaller communities are not yet getting the media coverage that a large metropolitan area might, Coker said.

Don Ward was military. He moved his family around as military families do. When retirement finally came, he and Charlene decided to build their home in Lake Charles. This was a few years before Hurricane Laura.

“After Hurricane Laura, we said, ‘See ya later,’ and moved to Whittier, North Carolina,” Ward said. “Never in a million years did we think something like this would happen here.”

They are OK, news that didn’t make it to a frantic Melinda until 24 hours after the weather event.

“We were able to stay in our home,” Ward said. “We live on a hill, but every river around us flooded. Our neighbor has a 120-acre farm and he had just purchased $70,000 worth of strawberry plants from Nova Scotia and planted them. The entire farm is under water.”

Ward and friends have been helping neighbors clean houses and reported that many residents lack food this week because grocery stores aren’t open, weren’t stocked or couldn’t take cards.

“A lot of people are struggling,” Ward said. “A lot of people can’t use their water now because the flooding contaminated it. Asheville and Hendersonville are completely wiped out. There are areas where they haven’t gotten in to find people. Over a thousand people are still unaccounted for.”

Coker  is accepting donations from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. now until Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Not Just Christmas, 521 Alamo St., Sunday included. Friday she will collect donations until 7 p.m. She heads to Whittaker on Oct. 10.

She is discouraging clothing donations. She will take socks, snacks, liquid I.V. packets. One person has committed to bringing blankets. Temperatures are in the 40s this time of the year. Distributions will be made in the Whittier and Bryson City areas.

To find out more, go to the Facebook site, Not Just Christmas.