Princeville is more than just a small, flood-ravaged town to Antoan Whidbee. The Campbell law student has family ties here. The destruction is almost too much to absorb.
"It is easy to sit back in our little niche and watch it on TV and say 'how sad.' But 15 minutes is all it takes to see," says Whidbee.
As Princeville starts a cleanup that will last for months, Campbell law students are offering muscle to tackle the job.
More than 200 students volunteered to help, so the faculty agreed to suspend classes for the day.
"It is really a part of the Campbell Law School ethic. Public service is a fundamental principle of what Campbell is all about," says student Casey Viser.
Homeowners like Mary Pittman say the help is crucial to recovery.
"It means all to help me because I could not do this without them being here with me," says Pittman.
The future lawyers say it is a humbling experience to see so many homes in such bad condition.
"It's worse than I thought it was going to be," says student Cyndi Miller. "It's really unbelievable, the damage that's been caused. It's just heartbreaking. These people have lost everything. It's really sad."
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