For the past 12 days I’d been driving picking up supplies and delivering them to those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Saturday morning at 3am, I arrived back home. For those of you that contributed to the supplies I carried down, our drop in the bucket made a difference! Every place I went, the people were so appreciative and happy to see the support coming in.
This is what the trailer looked like the morning I left. I couldn’t have done this without Tommy, my dear friend of many years, helped me gather contributions and the supplies. This is also his trailer that made the trip. Together, we collected, $6,510 that perfectly filled the trailer and the back of my truck and go me to and from.
I want to thank: Richard and Melanie, Deb and Ben, Jane, Ken and Linda, Tommy and Mindy, Todd, Matt, Jeff and Diane, The Lakes, Frank and Rebecca, Butterfield, Jason, Ronny, Craft, Chris, Craig, Gigi, my mother, and Jungle Jim’s for all sending their love. This wouldn’t have been possible without you all!
On a personal note, I want to extend an extra thank you to all of you for allowing me to have the experience. It was powerful. Seeing these people join forces from all over the country to pick up their neighbors after such a devastating incident was more powerful than the storm itself. As a community, we can overcome anything!
To the right is our (Tommy, his mother Jane, and myself) trip to Costco to get this all started.
Below: the tent is a collection and distribution station near Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. It is set up in Ingles parking lots.
Here is a long-term distribution site at 141 Duke Street, Forest City, 28043 NC that is being managed by Habitat for Humanity. Their main priority is providing weekly packages for families. Anyone else in need is also welcome.
A good friend Richard and also a contributor to this cause has a friend Tom that lives near Rutherfordton, and he is very active in the community. Tom was able to line me up with drop-off sites for the supplies we all put together. I visited all of them in order to spread things out to multiple communities. Tom also graciously went out of his way to host me in his Airbnb for 3 days. That was completely unexpected. Thank you very much, Tom! Tom also hosts http://www.theforgefire.com/ at The Flightdeck, which is a Christian men’s group that brings real life to the word of the bible. I sat in on my first men’s group discussion. It was nice, I really enjoyed it. It seems like in the pursuit of helping others, I’d found myself also the one being helped. I just listened to these guys of all kinds share their stories and express their positions and how it has effected them. That alone was worth the trip. I’d never heard a group of guys be so vulnerable and honest about their internal struggles. And, surely it isn’t something I have ever practiced very much privately and never in public. It takes a big person to share emotions. Some day I’ll get there, but I may never stop talking once I do. This knife was a gift from the Tom and The Flight Deck. Thanks to Tom, Greg, Isaiah, and the rest of the Flightdeck crew for hospitality.
When we were starting to organize supplies to deliver, I wasn’t sure what to expect once I got down there. There were all kinds of different stories online, and I was sure how those were in comparison to the locations I was told that need the supplies we collected. The drive in to those mountain is beautiful.
Upon arrive to Spruce Pine, the aftermath of homes torn off their foundation was the most terrible contrast. Nearly any home based near a creek or edge of a river was taken by the floods. Sand buried much of the evidence. Roads were washed out. Everyone left thanked god for their lives and prayed for the strength to move forward.
This church above (Liberty Hill Baptist) Was my first drop-off point with Pastor Brent Frady in Spruce Pine, NC. They had the church organized so well. Folks were able to come in and collect goods as if they were in a small store. They had everything to chose from. It seemed prior to entering, people didn’t realize how well prepared the church was to help. The churches had so many donations coming, they had anything anyone needed for their home, family, and pets.
Just below the church was a small trailer park near a creek that had become a small but raging river during the storm. It flooded many trailers and wrecked many vehicles.
On my drive into the area, I noticed quite a bit of signage that showed Mexican or Latin populations there. This trailer park was completely occupied by Mexicans from Michoacán. From the beginning, I thought it was a bit strange for this culture to be such an influence deep in this mountainous are of North Carolina. From here I realized, their population was much bigger than I’ve seen so far.
To change the subject for a bit, nearby in Burnsville, NC, I came across an area where the National Guard was clearing a bridge and road near a creek. They were posted up in a church parking lot with their trucks and machinery. Up and down river here at the same level as the church the structures demolished by the flow of water, yet the church here remains. Just saying.
Jonathan and I spoke for a few. They had a full mini farm here including livestock, gardens, and their two-story home. He said, “As the water was raising, we moved all the valuables upstairs, not thinking the water level would get that high, let alone take the whole house. We had to let the livestock loose. They ran-off, then returned 3 days later.” It is unimaginable to me, the complete loss. The thought of the situation like this, one day watching everything on your property you have worked years for washed away and having to restart. But after speaking with Jonathan. I believe he is the type of guy that will come out on top of this situation. He and his wife seem to have a good support team as well. I wish them the best and gave them 80 pounds of dog food for the 4 four legged family members. It happens to be the brand they normally use. That was a nice little thing I was happy to help them with.
All around Burnsville there was so much damage. Cars, vehicles, homes, businesses, water, animals, all kinds of community resources sacrificed.
Some images are ironically perfect. I found this old wheelchair with these booties parked outside in a church parking lot. The beginning and end of life, all in the face of god.
The water line on those trees is 15 to 20 feet high at the road, which is approximately 20 to 30 feet above normal levels.
This is some of the work I did with the Adaville Baptist Church in Rutherfordton, NC. They hosted a group from Texas called the Texans On Mission. They are a Christian Baptist organization that volunteers for disaster relief. They operate and supply chainsaw crews, feeding people, flood recovery, shower/laundry, and electrical needs. https://www.texansonmission.org/
At this point of this trip, I was nearly out of supplies (shovels and a large pot of onions and garlic) left on the trailer that I nearly forgot about or maybe was saving for the right moment, I don’t know. I was leaving Rutherfordton feeling a little weighted and maybe a little like I couldn’t do much more.
For these people in times like this, I can see how one can start to feel hopeless and how hard it would be to stay positive. When you want to help, but there is so much help that is needed, it is overwhelming. It is as if the work to help will never be done. This is also the time I saw the most support from the community and people from a far. It is incredible what people will do for each other.
So as I was leaving Rutherfordton I saw the signs for Chimney Rock. Originally, I didn’t make an effort to go there because of the accessibility with carrying the trailer. I didn’t want to have any issues getting stuck while trying to help. Anyway, I pulled off the exit and headed up the road to get some gas. I asked the clerk what she thought about the route. She said there was a severe need and that I should head 12.5 mile north to Ingles and learn more about what I can do there. So, I did. In the image above, to the right side of the perimeter, there is a large kitchen set up that is feeding 200+ people for breakfast and lunch and again for dinner.
The colorful tent is where the community is organizing dry goods. Everything from clothes to household needs. The two trailers in the middle is what they (Lewis and Samantha) had delivered to hold supplies from the weather, so nothing is spoiled while it’s waiting to a home. Lewis and Samantha are organizing much of the logistics coming and going. Fun fact Lewis told me, he is also from Cincinnati. The mobile home on the bottom left setting ghostly with a few F.E.M.A reps. Strange isolated presence they have there. Otherwise, The people were picking each other back up! After meeting a few people here and dropping off the things I had left, I made my way up to the lake.
You can see more work from Lewis and Samantha on Telegram @VeteransOnPatrol
The first sight of damage at Lake Lure was lots of downed power lines and those boats washed up and left on the step of the gazebo. A tangled mess. Around the corner from here, I was turned around by the National Guard. Getting up to Chimney Rock was near impossible, especially with towing the trailer. It was here I met Kathy and her garden remains at Lake Lure Flowering Bridge. The bridge was washed out, as you can see as well across to the garden. Mostly sand remains, covering all the plants. You can look online to see the incredible garden that once existed.
This area seemed to get it the worst. This area also seemed to have the best spirits about the whole thing. The personal and community effort to support was strong and inspiring. With a blank slate, I can’t wait to see how they rebuild this. I bet it will be better than before. Nearby is Lured Market & Grill. They are also out preparing meals and feeding people throughout the days. If you want to donate to food cost, you can reach out to them. Call us for more information @ (828) 625-9192. https://www.luredmarketandgrill.com/
Smiles and good shirts are great coping mecanisms in a unfair circumstances.
If you feel the need to help people suffering from hurricane Helene or Milton, there are many options out there to choose from. If you have question on how to get involved, I would be more than happy to give you the best advice I can.
Thank you to all of those involved in this journey. No adventure I ever set out for turns out as I foresee it. This one was no exeption. It was way better because all of you.
A view of where home once sat along the creek.