Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. When we heard about the approaching hurricane, we prepared as we always do for any storm that threatens our area: We stocked up on candles, batteries, food, and water. The night before Helene made landfall, I thought we were ready. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
By the next morning, entire neighborhoods, including mine, had been destroyed. Homes were swept away. Cell towers, radio stations, and all communication with the outside world, were knocked out. Miraculously, since my overlanding rig has removable batteries and an inverter, I was able to bring these items into my house and power up a Starlink terminal to get online. Immediately, I checked in with the members of my nonprofit, which at the time focused on veterans housing, to see who was okay, who wasn’t, what they had lost, and what their immediate needs were.
Soon, some of the members of my team were in a Black Hawk helicopter (which the pilots nicknamed Black Betty) cutting helo LZs and conducting search and rescue missions. Camping World asked me to start a relief effort at their campus in Marion. Although I’d sustained significant damage to my own home, and watched as my neighbors lost their homes, communication, water, and power, taking on this responsibility was a godsend for my mental health. Having a mission and being needed was exactly what I needed.
A Note on “We”
People pulled up to my door at 7 p.m., ready to get to work. And this was only one day. These folks cut trees, dug out roads, and hauled critical medications into mountain communities.
Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by Helene, and thousands and thousands came to assist. That’s who we are. Set aside politics and set aside religion, this is who Americans are in the face of significant adversity. I’m proud to be an American.
When I got to the Camping World location in McDowell County the water was starting to recede. Most of the property had been under water. Camping World graciously offered us the use of a warehouse. It was going to be a distribution center for much needed supplies, but it quickly became so much more.
Soldiers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions were being mobilized out of Marion and we assisted with many needs including housing, infrastructure, and temporary communications. Chinooks would land on the property and fly over our building at treetop height so often that we stopped looking up. (Even the dogs got used to it!) Many of the folks that worked here said it was like being in a war zone.
Without power or cell service logistics is challenging. Forecasting needs and working with community and municipal partners to identify needs was our top priority.
Initially, the needs list included tents, food, water, and toiletries. Soon it included generators. And housing. Western North Carolina has always been challenged with limited housing availability. After Helene housing availability was even more limited. We sourced housing needs, from campers to sheds, from outside of the disaster area.
We worked hand in hand with search and rescue and with municipal and federal response teams. We procured critical medications like insulin and EpiPens. We created pick-and-pack operations, similar to many manufacturing facilities in which I’ve worked. We received and shipped out truckloads of donations on a daily basis. We coordinated and delivered critical supplies to those in need, inside and outside of the disaster area.
The Volunteers
Some drivers faced hours of driving to get a few miles, roads blocked and had to walk the last stretch with supplies on their backs. Some brought much needed and life saving items such as insulin for children who would not have made it without.
Not only was this a hub for logistics, but also for people to come talk, decompress and debrief. I’ve heard stories from combat veterans and even Firefighters who said they’ve never seen anything like losing friends, families and homes all at once. I’ve heard stories from people who’ve seen their neighbors taken by the floods. I’ve also seen people that came in as victims and have turned around and became volunteers to pass on supplies to their neighbors.
Within a year, I’ve seen donations come in by the truck load, everything from water, to clothing, from all corners of the country.
People came from all over the country to help. Groups formed almost immediately. Operation Airdrop dropped off much needed supplies. Venture Unknown, a group of overlanders who formed on Facebook, all came together to deliver much needed items to a camp in Black Mountain. All these organizations paid out of pocket for gas and donated their time to bring socks, sleeping bags, generator fuel, cooking gear etc. to people who lost everything.
Standing in the Middle
Community members served as liaisons to help figure out what their neighbors actually needed, and also to be a buffer between the community and the various aid efforts and agencies.
As one of the larger hubs in the area, we had visits from the Red Cross and FEMA to assess needs and determine where they could be of assistance. Helene was unlike anything they had a plan for. There was tension and confusion with many on-scene FEMA employees not understanding their roles and people expecting things from a federal agency that the agency can’t/won’t provide.
There was more than one occasion where all it took was a badge and a vest to upset someone enough to be asked to leave their property. Frustration was running high and people just wanted someone to stop the bleeding. Frustration with unkept promises made by various agencies and organizations manifested itself in various ways, with some people becoming angry and accusatory, and others withdrawing and stopping asking for needed assistance.
We operated 7 days a week, dawn to dusk. One of the biggest challenges was knowing what to give out and what to try to save for later (and trying to keep our inventory full – ordering items that were no longer available anywhere in NC and could only be found halfway across the country!). As the days passed, our requests transitioned from beans and blankets to campers and cars.
Housing the Ones Who Fell Through
When FEMA assistance wasn’t an option, because you didn’t own your home, or insurance wasn’t going to help, because you were renting, we partnered with Camping World to bring 50 new bumper-pull campers onto our campus. We housed these folks, had case managers work with them, and connected them to resources with the goal of getting them into permanent housing within six months. In many cases, that housing doesn’t exist, at least not that they can afford, like they did before the storm. That’s still an issue for us.
Further up the mountains, on land owned by a prominent video game executive (and now our friend!), crews ran a sawmill on leased land, making lumber for temporary bridges and home repairs. Operators volunteered their own machines and time to dig out homes and begin rebuilding.
We opened a free store in our facility, allowing folks to shop for free while grocery stores were being rebuilt. Before Helene, food insecurity was an issue in this region, so we made sure that need was being met. Government food aid that came through us went on to groups like Meals on Wheels when nothing else was available.
Eventually, twelve nonprofits, some new, some still in the process of being formed, worked as one, rebuilding washed-out cemeteries and putting roofs back on houses.
Almost none of this was paid. Most of us put our businesses and careers on hold. Some quit their jobs. Some came from other states, and a few never left.
Two Years Out
Helene destroyed bridges, churches, homes and businesses. Entire towns were leveled. Vehicles were crushed beyond recognition. In small towns like Pensacola, North Carolina, it looked like a bombed-out area. I could hardly believe the destruction until I saw it for myself.
It’s been just over two years since Hurricane Helene, and I estimate it will take another eight to 12 years to rebuild. Many communities will never recover to what they used to be. I’m grateful for the opportunities I had to get out of the Hub and see first-hand what our local partners did in the immediate aftermath of Helene. It was critical to see the good work that was happening, how many people need continued support, and get a true sense of the size of this disaster.
While many of the visible needs like providing groceries and toiletries are in the past, there are still significant invisible needs. Right now, I spend much of my time meeting with the governor’s office and other policy and funding groups. It’s critically important that we continue to advocate for Western North Carolina, especially to decision makers who influence funding and policy.
Mental health will continue to be a major challenge for years to come. Everyone witnessed the devastation to their neighbors’ and family members’ homes and livelihoods. Many people saw friends and loved ones perish. Children who just emerged from staying inside during COVID isolation now faced another traumatic event. After Katrina, New Orleans saw an increase in overdoses, suicides and crime for years afterward. Unless we’re intentional about putting programs and supports in place, we’ll see the same things happen here. Our nation was already facing a mental health crisis, and we need to act now to prevent it from getting even worse.
Organizations like the Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse excel at responding to natural disasters. Helene was different in that it was so close to home and bigger than any they’ve typically handled. Their policies and staffing were stretched thin, but together we found ways to fill in the gaps. Disaster response is a team effort, and we all played critical roles.
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