Picture this — a nun with a chainsaw. Not exactly something you see everyday. But in the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Irma, cleanup across Florida has required that all hands be on deck.

On Tuesday, Sister Margaret Ann was seen by an off-duty Miami-Dade police officer chipping away at a tree that had fallen in the road.

“The road was blocked, we couldn’t get through,” she told CNN. “And I saw somebody spin in the mud and almost go into a wall, going off the road. So, there was a need, I had the means —  so I wanted to help out.”

Read More: Hurricane Irma Leaves As Many As 150,000 Puerto Ricans Without Safe Drinking Water

Sister Margaret Ann has been the principal of Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School in southwest Miami for 30 years and counting, where she’s taught her students to “do what you can to help.”

Up until Hurricane Irma, the chainsaw had been sitting in a school closet, untouched and, in Sister Ann’s words, “needed to be used.”

Since Tuesday, people have praised the nun online, giving her kudos for handling a chainsaw while wearing a habit.

“We are so blessed to have her,” read a post on Facebook from her high school’s official page.

Read More:12 Ways Brits Can Help Hurricane Irma Victims Right Now

The Miami-Dade police department said the sister’s work another sign that Miami’s community will work together to repair what Irma broke.

She told CNN she didn’t know when her school would reopen, as the air conditioner was damaged during the hurricane, a wall was torn down, and debris litters six acres of the school grounds.  

Schools throughout the county are all still closed, and 42 were running on generator power as of Monday. Officials said it’s not clear how quickly teachers and staff will be able to return to work.

With winds as strong as 115 miles per hour, the storm left at least 6.5 million people in Florida without power.

Read More: This Is Hurricane Irma: Photos of the Biggest Storm the Atlantic Has Seen

In the meantime, Sister Margaret Ann will join the ranks of police, firefighters and paramedics who are usually tasked with community cleanup.

“They community will come out and help us,” she said. “That’s what we do. It’s good.”

Global Citizen campaigns on health and sanitation, and urges governments to provide aid, especially in times of crises. You can take action here.


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This Nun With a Chainsaw Is Helping in Post-Irma Cleanup

By Gabriella Canal