A team from a nonprofit Lehigh Valley disaster relief organization recently returned from a reconnaissance trip to hurricane-devastated areas in Tennessee and North Carolina.

While there, volunteers from DeWeather Cares Inc. saw residents covered from head to toe in mud as they tried to piece their lives back together, said Julie Rambo, a DeWeather board member.

Rambo said the team plans to return to distribute additional care kits and other necessities that volunteers will collect over the next few days.

“There is complete and total devastation in much of Tennessee and North Carolina. Most areas have seen no help except from local community members,” Julie Rambo said.

She noted that DeWeather Cares volunteers left at 7 a.m. Monday from their Allentown headquarters.

“They took along Cares Kits and ‘Bennett boxes,’ but more importantly, they aimed to assess the immediate needs of the communities affected by recent events,” Julie Rambo said.

The Bennett boxes are filled with art supplies and distributed to children. They were inspired by volunteer and local artist, Bennett Rambo, who came up with the idea while deployed to help Ohio victims of April’s tornadoes.

“When we handed them 72 hour Cares Kits and Bennett boxes you could see a bit of hope fill their eyes,” Bennett Rambo said. “To know that such a small effort made such a big impact on these people was truly overwhelming.”

The team also assessed needs after talking with Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officials and landed in Cosby, Tennessee. Meeting face to face with residents and agencies provides the best information about terrain, routes and needs.

“We met some of the residents. They were gracious and grateful,” according to a DeWeather Cares Facebook post.

After assessing needs, the crew returned to Allentown on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have been working on gathering the necessary items to be hand-delivered sometime next week to those who desperately need it,” Rambo said.

Donations are being taken through Venmo: @DeWeatherCares.

They’ve also created Amazon Wish Lists to collect bathing wipes, sunscreen, flashlights, toothbrushes and toothpaste, emergency thermal blankets and items for the Bennett boxes.

The DeWeather Cares volunteers will deploy on another reconnaissance mission to western North Carolina after hearing late Wednesday that it has not received any help. They will bring hundreds of care kits, chain saws and other items.

The team will return to Cosby next week with care kits and supplies.

DeWeather Cares started in 2021 and educates about preparing for and responding to natural disasters. More information is at www.deweathercares.org and @DeWeatherCares.