On the recordOctober 1, 2003
I remember as a small child growing up in rural eastern North Carolina seeing a tobacco barn burn, because that is where I grew up, and I will never forget watching it burn. There was nothing my parents could do. And I am sure they did not have insurance on it. And the gentleman knows exactly what I am talking about, as he grew up there. What a frightening thing that was as a child. And I had no concept, as small as I was, that that was part of the year's income for the family and that was going to be devastating for the family in terms of the economic loss. But to see that fire as it moved, and there was nothing you could do, absolutely nothing. Then we started to form volunteer fire departments, and they had just trucks. And today we call on them to do more than that. In this flood they did not have to put out a fire; they were saving people from flooded buildings.
Source
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