Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!
First Place
Tom Walron, 91, sits next to a local gas station in Wilmington, North Carolina, that was demolished after Hurricane Florence. “I’m sad to see this local business be destroyed from the Hurricane. I do business with the owner, doesn’t speak much English, but a great man. I will say that Hurricane Flo is nowhere as close as bad as Hurricane Hazel. I remember early October in 1954, and the city of Wilmington was destroyed in many capacities,” Walton said. | Michael Blackshire
Honorable Mention
Thomas Shaw, 64, wonders why locals are not able to humble themselves during the time of Hurricane Florence. “I don’t understand why people are not accepting this situation for what the situation is. I tell people this is only the beginning. Will only get worse from here, our planet will only get worse, and people are complaining about loosing electricity for a week,” Shaw said. | Michael Blackshire
Sheriff Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines of Warren County has held the office of Sheriff for 40 years. In this year’s election Gaines faces opposition from Brett Hightower, a retired Bowling Green Police captain and Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient. | Silas Walker
Justin Miles, 28, tries to get back to safety after taking a dive in the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I feel like the news exaggerated Hurricane Flo, because the area I lived in was not affected besides loosing electricity. I saw the tide of the waves moving in my direction so I decided to take a dive in the river,” Miles said. | Michael Blackshire
Lilly Riherd, 58, plays basketball with her only grandson Dalton Hughes, 13, at Covington Woods Park on Monday, September 24, 2018. Riherd said they shoot hoops for 30 to 45 minutes two to three nights per week. | Ivy Ceballo
Ronnie Oxenbine stops at an empty gas station for an effort to find supplies to leave Wilmington N.C. on Sunday 16, September 2018. “I honestly don’t know why I’m staying in this state,” Oxenbine said, “we were not ready when Hurricane Matthew happened and we are not ready for another hurricane.” | Fahad Alatobi
Wilmington, NC. Darik 65, walks around his neighborhood taking pictures of demolished buildings by Hurricane Florence on Sunday 16th of September 2018. “This is what nature destruction looks like and that’s only category 1.” Darik said. | Fahad Alotaibi
Pastor Chad Collins leads the church Miracle Life Center in Bowling Green, KY. He has in his own words experienced that God’s power was so divine that his son was cured for leukemia, after Jesus appeared in the dreams of his son. On Sundays, Mr. Collins often speaks in tongues or says “shhh, fhhhssss” and “fire!”, when he is in front of his church members. He whips them with a sweaty hand towel and pushes them. On the floor, some members lie there for a quarter of an hour. They look dizzy. Some cry, others pray. Everyone in the hope that they will experience the presence of Jesus. | Rasmus Flugt