Left to right: Ed Klebaur and Al Muenster

“Always look for the helpers.” That’s the sage advice beloved television personality Fred Rogers received as a child from his mother about how to navigate a crisis.

There are helpers to be found in our own neighborhoods.

As Christmas neared in Fairfield Harbour, many assumed the annual holiday decorations would not be hung amidst ongoing recovery efforts. The subdivision’s maintenance staff remained fully engaged in cleanup and repair activities and during the storm the pole-mounted banner hardware had been severely damaged. Subdivision residents Al Muenster and Ed Klebaur weren’t about to let Hurricane Florence rob the community of Christmas cheer. Despite both having sustained extensive flood damage to their own homes, they were determined to help restore some sense of normalcy to the storm ravaged community.

Al Muenster and Ed Klebaur weren’t about to let Hurricane Florence rob the community of Christmas cheer.

After sizing up the hardware damage, Muenster reached out to Tideland to see if the co-op could assist with repairs, which exceeded a safe height to work from a ladder. Linemen Josh Bain and Chris Rice arrived with their bucket truck to replace the hardware and install the Christmas banners with Muenster, Klebaur and resident Dick Stewart assisting.

With the hardware replaced and the Christmas season having come and gone, Muenster and Klebaur are ready to hang up their banner duties for good. But you can rest assured that in a crisis when you look for the helpers, they’ll be among those working to keep #fairfieldstrong.