Heart of the High Country

Resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane

Heart of the High Country

THA NK YO

Contractors

Blue Ridge Energy received mutual assistancefromsistercooperatives, contractors, graders and tree trimming crews, with manpowertotaling over 600 people during restoration efforts following Hurricane Helene.

Publisher’s Note

Every day, tragedy strikes individuals in the High Country. Lives are altered daily with the regular passing of life. These challenges visit each of us in small and sometimes large ways. Sept. 27 collectively etched the memories of every citizen in the High Country as Hurricane Helene forever scarred our beautiful mountains and left a similar mark upon the hearts and minds.

This publication commemorates the first responders, the heroes, and the everyday people who came from near and far and stood in the gap for us all in those great and terrible days. I will not begin to mention a list of those protectors in this letter; that’s what the following pages will begin to do, and this story will unfold over many years.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors and advertisers who have allowed us to document the timeline from the beginning of these tragic events until today. They also make it possible for us to donate much of the proceeds from this effort to local recovery efforts. At the same time, 100% of the donations collected for the magazine will also be donated. We at Mountain Times Publications believe this is the most significant project ever in our 136 years of documenting daily life and the steadfast nature of our people in the High Country.

Gene Fowler Jr.

Publisher, Mountain Times Publications

Staff Box

Publisher

Gene Fowler

Executive Editor

Moss Brennan

Advertising Director

Tim Walker

Circulation Manager

Jeff Winebarger

Editors

Jamie Shell, Jerry Snow and Nathan Ham

Production

Darla Allen and Rebecca Portis

Writers

Luke Barber, Zach Colburn, Christian Gardner, Derek Halsey, Francisco

Hernandez, Nick Fogleman, Jerry Snow and Hailey Sackewitz

Sales

William Becker, Mark Mitchell, Teresa Laws, Caitlin Pitkin and Landon Reed

Cover photo by Riah Barfield

Your choiceofcontractorisperhaps themost important decision to be made on aconstruction project.AtGreeneConstruction,yoursatisfaction is ourpriority. We strive to deliver thehighest quality workonevery project, on scheduleand on budget. We’ve beenbuilding theHigh Country for over 75 years ‐ put ourexperience to workfor you!

Hurricane Helene in the High Country

By Moss Brennan

When a broad, low-pressure system formed in the western Caribbean Sea on Sept. 22, few could have predicted its catastrophic transformation. Within days, it would become Hurricane Helene, one of the most destructive storms to ever strike the southeastern United States.

The system intensified with frightening speed, turning into a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26. As Helene tracked northward along Western North Carolina’s border on Sept. 27, she unleashed unprecedented devastation across the High Country region.

The stage for disaster had already been set. Days before Helene’s arrival, a stalled cold front had saturated the region with several inches of rain and

spawned an EF1 tornado that tore through the town of Blowing Rock. These conditions ahead of Helene’s arrival helped create the worst disaster in Western North Carolina history.

The hurricane’s impact on Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties was catastrophic.

Deadly landslides and flash floods claimed eight lives –five in Avery County, two in Watauga County, and one in Ashe County.

Hundreds more had to be rescued from floodwaters as streams and rivers quickly rose to unprecedented levels. In the aftermath, even more had to be rescued from completely cut-off areas as the storm’s ferocity transformed the mountain landscape.

“Words cannot truly capture the magnitude of destruction as Mother Nature took back her mountains, leaving scars of where roads

and homes once stood,” said Watauga County Emergency Services Director Will Holt in the aftermath.

“We deeply grieve the loss of life and livelihood, not just in Watauga County, but throughout the High Country as our neighbors in Ashe and Avery counties, southwest Virginia and eastern Tennessee all come to grips with what is now our new normal for our foreseeable future.”

The scale of physical destruction was staggering. Across the three counties, approximately 2,800 structures suffered damage or complete destruction:

• In Ashe County, 1,158 buildings were impacted: 151 were destroyed, 307 sustained major damage, and over 700 had minor damage.

• In Avery County, 437 structures were impacted: 51 were destroyed,

145 sustained major damage, and 241 had minor damage.

• In Watauga County, 1,135 buildings were impacted: 118 were destroyed, 479 sustained major damage, and 538 had minor damage. It took weeks, and even months in some cases, to restore the power grid. Municipalities faced devastation to water systems. In the days after, areas were completely cut off, and only helicopters were able to deliver supplies to those in need.

The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management estimated Hurricane Helene’s total damage at $59.6 billion.

Environmental impacts were equally severe, with flood waters ravaging local waterways and leaving trails of debris. The North Carolina Forest Service reported

that 822,000 acres of timberland sustained damage, resulting in $214 million in timber losses across state forest lands.

Yet amid this historic devastation, a powerful story of community resilience emerged. Local businesses suspended normal operations to assist with relief efforts. Residents who had lost everything still found ways to help their neighbors. The spirit of mutual aid proved as powerful as the storm itself.

“We are going to pull together and get through this,” Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier observed. “Together, we will bring hope. Everybody, take care of your neighbors, and let’s take care of each other and do what it takes to get through this.”

Photo by Derek Halsey Homes in Avery County were destroyed, downed trees blocked some of the roads, vehicles were stacked downstream and the community rallied.

Photo submitted Downtown Lansing was one of the hardest-hit areas of Ashe County during Hurricane Helene. Main Street was completely flooded, with several feet of water damaging businesses, homes, and the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department.

Photo by Christian Gardner

An aerial view of Minneapolis after Helene’s arrival.

High CountryHurricane Hero: Blue Ridge Energy

By Moss Brennan

As Hurricane Helene and its rains and winds were headed to the High Country, Blue Ridge Energy was preparing for power outages and other issues.

All crews were put on high alert and standby, ready to respond around the clock. Crews double checked supplies on their trucks, in their warehouses and the poleyards. They made sure fuel was topped off and chainsaws were sharpened.

Then, the storm hit on Sept. 27

“It didn’t take long to realize this storm was more devastating to this area and to our electric grid than our worst storm in history up until this one, ” said BRE Director of Operations Mike Kincaid. “Hurricane Helene surpassed the damage we saw from Hurricane Hugo over 30 years ago. The ice storm of 2009 was also very damaging, with extended outages, but this one was much worse. ”

Blue Ridge Energy serves some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and parts of Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties. At the height of the outages, more than 70,000 members were without power as the eclectic grid suffered unprecedented damage.

“It started hitting our area Thursday night, and the worst of it began Friday. Our line crews began responding Thursday evening,” Kincaid said. “Thursday evening, we were restoring outages as others were occurring and averaged about500 members without power at any given time until around 5amFriday. Around 9a.m. Friday, the bottom fell out.”

BRE had already put tree removal contractors on standby as they began to ask for help from other resources, but there

was another problem.

“The challenge in getting help early was the entire western part of the state had been hit, as well as other states, so line workers and contractors were in high demand,” Kincaid said. “Weknew it was bad when line crews were working, and trees began falling all around them. It was a very dangerous situation and we had to ensure the safety of our line technicians while we were restoring power. ”

In the days and weeks following Sept. 27,the extent of Hurricane Helene’s destruction becameclear.

“As the first days progressed and we saw entire parts of our electric grid washed away or demolished, we knew the damage was the worst in the cooperative’s history,” Kincaid said. “Weknew it was amajor undertaking to restore power because parts of the system had to be totally rebuilt some were parts of the electricgrid that had taken years to complete. In some cases, there was no land existing where poles were originally located and the system had to be re-engineered to some extent.”

Normally, BRE has 54 line technicians working to serve 80,000 members. Forthis storm, more than 600 linemen were in the field in addition to tree workers and road graders.

“Wesimply couldn’t have done it without them,” Kincaid said. “Many were from sister cooperatives across the eastern US and that’s the cooperative way: helping fellow cooperatives when needed. We’re

thankful they answered our call for help.”

The community support helped them complete their mission: restore power. Crews worked around the clock and restored power to all members on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 9:54 p.m.

“Wehad no doubt they would pull together, although this storm was of a different magnitude than we had ever seen and took heroic efforts on the linemen’s part,” Kincaid said. “But our storm response truly took each and every employee of the cooperative,our propane and fuels subsidiary and our broadband subsidiary working together to address every need and get our communities up and going. It wouldnot have happened without the teamwork of every Blue Ridge employee.”

Even though BRE was as prepared as they could be, Kincaid said they can learn something from every storm. He thinks

the most important experience occurred with new employees and linemen as they got to be apart of ateam response to what will hopefully be the worst crisis in their careers.

“Wewould not have gotten power restored as quickly as we did if everyone hadn’t pulled together,” Kincaid said. “Everyone worked around the clock, in every way needed, from working in the field to answering calls, monitoring our system and coordinating line crews and supplies, to feeding and housing line crews to doing their laundry whatever task was needed, small and large it was all important and took atrue team effort.”

To learn more about Blue Ridge Energy’s response, watch their video “Helen: The Generational Storm” at https://www yo utube. com/watch? v=0epmI GXR2ZY and at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.

Avery County Schools united in response to Helene

During Hurricane Helene, all schools across Avery County came together to support their communities in remarkable ways.

Banner Elk Elementary: The school operated out of temporary locations to volunteer for the community, contacting families and assisting staff members who suffered significant losses. Parents raised funds to meet school needs, while many staff members worked tirelessly to care for students.

Avery County High School: Staff and administrators worked to account for all students, with assistance from the Avery County Sheriff’s Department. Supplies were delivered to families and staff members in need. Counselors and teachers supported seniors with college applications and scholarships while donations were organized and distributed to the community.

Riverside Elementary: Riverside served as an evacuation space and later as a distribution center, organizing and delivering supplies, setting up medical and shower stations, and collaborating with the 82nd Airborne Division to provide necessities and comfort items for families. Staff cleaned and inventoried the school after its use as a shelter and set up ongoing support for families.

Newland Elementary: Communication challenges arose when cell service was disrupted, preventing contact with students and staff and creating significant uncertainty.

Mrs. Tamara Presnell, Principal of Newland Elementary, traveled to Erwin, Tennessee, a few days after the storm to contact staff. Many staff members had mobilized to check on families and initiate relief efforts.

5 Stones International established an operations base in the school parking lot, turning the gym into a distribution center for essential supplies. Newland Elementary became a central hub, staying open daily to serve families and the community. Staff collaborated with local churches and organizations to extend relief efforts.

The school also served as a sanctuary for faculty and staff, providing basic needs such as showers, laundry, and sleeping accommodations during weeks-long power outages. Partnering with Putting Prayers to Action, Newland Elementary hosted a countywide Fall Festival, offering coats, toys, shoes, haircuts, inflatable attractions, food, and a sense of community. This event brought relief and hope to many during a challenging time.

Avery County Schools Central Office: The transportation department worked daily to deliver supplies, overcoming challenges from road washouts. District administrators coordinated contact efforts with staff and families, often traveling outside the area to find communication access. Central Office staff volunteered at many locations (churches, schools, and county facilities) to assist families in need. They also worked with other school districts in North Carolina and other states that provided support through school supplies and necessities. District and school administrators kept in contact and worked together to ensure all communities were being taken care of during this time.

Child Nutrition Staff: The child nutrition team played a critical role in supporting relief efforts, assisting with food deliveries and volunteering at relief centers to ensure families had access to meals during this challenging time.

Freedom Trail Elementary & Cranberry Middle School: Staff at Freedom Trail Elementary and Cranberry Middle School worked with families in need, collaborating with Carolina Relief and Master of Disasters to ensure student homes were safe. The gym and cafeteria served as a distribution center, and staff volunteered with Carolina Relief to pass out supplies and deliver supplies.

Avery Middle School: Though closed due to water and sewer issues, the school stored and distributed donations and ensured all students were accounted for once communication was restored.

Crossnore Elementary: Staff contacted students and families while working closely with the Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department, Crossnore Baptist Church, and NC Disaster Relief to deliver essential supplies to those in need.

All Staff: Almost every staff member across the district volunteered at relief centers, many working 10to 12-hour days, seven days a week, to assist with relief efforts. This dedication was entirely voluntary, reflecting the staff’s unwavering commitment to their community during the crisis.

Across all schools, staff and administrators went above and beyond to locate and assist families and students, often through in-person visits due to communication outages, demonstrating resilience and dedication in a time of crisis.

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools

All students across the Avery County Schools district received donated plush K-9 companions to help cope with the aftermath of the storm.

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools Pictured from left, Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier, Freedom Trail Elementary Principal Emily Dellinger and Cranberry Middle School Principal Jamie Johnson work to assist families in the community with supplies, distribution and meeting needs.

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools Students and community members worked at area schools like Freedom Trail Elementary and Cranberry Middle School, organizing supplies in the aftermath of Helene.

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools Students, administration and staff at Avery High School assisted with supply collection and distribution.

A multifaceted response helps WCS get through hurricane

By Bailey Little, WCS Director of Communications

Watauga County Schools

had a multifaceted response and recovery journey after Hurricane Helene’s impact. The week of the storm, WCS was closed on Sept. 26, and — thanks to the dedicated and collaborative efforts of the WCS Leadership Team — students returned to school on Oct. 24.

When schools were closed for instruction, buildings became distribution sites for students, families, and the community. At Watauga High School, the auxiliary gym became a hub for anyone needing to pick up supplies. High school students took advantage of being out of school and honorably served as volunteers at the WHS distribution site. Athletes for Good accepted donations of clothing, shoes, and accessories and successfully opened the Care Closet, where community members could get items free of charge.

K-8 schools also opened distribution centers in their gymnasiums so the community could retrieve necessary supplies. These included non-perishable foods, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and blankets. School Nutrition staff worked tirelessly to prepare free hot meals and distribute them at Green Valley School, Mabel School, and Watauga High School on weekdays. These efforts began on Oct. 7 and were offered until Oct. 18.

Park School transformed into a free childcare site for essential workers and those in the community who needed childcare to go to work or help with volunteer efforts. The site was staffed by employees from the Watauga County Schools Afterschool program, teachers, and counselors from schools throughout the district. More than 300 students were registered from all of the K-8 schools in the district. This was a necessary and very appreciated part of recovery and relief in Watauga County. While attending the program, children were provided with breakfast and lunch through WCS School Nutrition.

WCS Central Office and school administrators met daily to discuss updates, needs, and, eventually, re-entry plans. After the storm, the maintenance department worked extremely hard to remove downed trees and other hazards from school grounds. Several members of the Maintenance department and Valle Crucis School staff were present during the storm when the school began to flood and made valiant efforts to try to save the school. In the aftermath of the storm, they assessed damage inside and outside of schools and worked on necessary repair processes.

The Transportation Department played a significant role in establishing community bus stops in col-

laboration with the NCDOT, which were necessary in the weeks and months after students returned to school due to damaged roads.

One of the biggest positives experienced by the WCS community was the strong bonds that resulted from relief and recovery efforts. The support from other schools, districts, organizations, and individuals across North Carolina and in different areas of the United States was outstanding and heartwarming. At the school level, administrators connected with organizations, churches, and schools that offered their support. At the district level, the Finance Department received monetary donations for school PTA/PTSO/PTO groups or as general donations to WCS. Physical donations were also brought in the weeks and months that followed Helene. These included school supplies, toys, bicycles, coats, backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles.

The WHS Playmakers devised an original production called “Surge” based on their experiences of Hurricane Helene. A preview performance was held in Ross Auditorium of Watauga High School on Oct. 29. The performance earned a standing ovation and a great deal of positive feedback. Mebane Rash, Editor-In-Chief/ CEO of EducationNC and NC Principal of the Year/ Principal of Wilkesboro Elementary Beckie Spears,

attended this show. They were both very impressed and moved by the talent and story showcased by the ensemble. Spears helped arrange for the Playmakers to perform the show for the State Board of Education.

The Playmakers came away from the regional competition with best original song, best directing, outstanding achievement in acting, outstanding achievement in ensemble acting, and a Superior rating. They also received the award for Distinguished Play (Audience Choice). They were selected as Judges Choice Distinguished Play at the State competition and won the right to represent North

The Playmakers traveled to Raleigh in early January to perform “Surge” for the State Board of Education in the Kennedy-Mcllwee Studio Theatre on the campus of NC State University. They will also attend the SETC in Baltimore, MD, from March 19 to 23, 2025.

“Through this production, they do an amazing job detailing the events of the hurricane and the emotional impacts experienced by many in our community. I am so proud of the creativity and talent of these students,” WCS Superintendent Leslie Alexander said.

Hardin

Carolina at the Southeastern Theatre Conference.

Photo courtesy Valle Crucis School

Valle Crucis School students hold up a sign from their peers at Hardin Park at their new school location of CCC&TI.

Photo by Natalie Fitch Anasofia Salinas and Charlie Stumb organize the supplies drive at WHS.

Photo by Natalie Fitch

Callie Finch helps fold clothes for the distribution center at WHS.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Sebastian Albino

By Nathan Ham

As a former Ashe County High School graduate and current Wilkes Community College student, Sebastian Albino felt a special calling to help a storm-ravaged community during its greatest time of need.

Albino, 19, is a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Jefferson and has been volunteering at the church by helping organize donations and make sure people who come by the church get everything they need.

“I am glad that I get to see the

smiles on their faces; that’s one of the things I do this for,” Albino explained.

Albino has been helping out at the church for about two months, and his time there varies each day. He says he has spent as many as nine hours a day helping those in need.

Albino, who graduated from ACHS in 2024, is majoring in criminal justice and hopes to be a School Resource Officer one day. He said he really enjoys helping people, and his faith is one of the biggest reasons he continues doing

this daily.

“I feel like God wants me to help these people, and that’s what he has put me here to do, and seeing all of these donations still coming in, it’s just God’s blessing for letting us keep doing this,” Albino said.

Some of the biggest needs that he still sees on a daily basis are people wanting propane to be prepared for future power outages and emergencies and house cleaning items to help get rid of some of the mold issues that many are dealing with inside their homes.

Ashe County Schools helps support community after the storm

By Nathan Ham

In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation, Ashe County Schools quickly mobilized to support the community, providing essential services including emergency shelter, supply distribution, and hot meals. The school district’s swift action transformed school buildings into vital resources for residents seeking comfort and assistance.

Ashe County’s three elementary schools became hubs for supply delivery, while the high school served as an emergency shelter. Throughout the recovery, the district provided laundry services, showers, and communal meals, fostering a spirit of unity among neighbors as they worked together to rebuild. Fortunately, the district’s facilities sustained only minor damage, allowing for rapid repairs.

As students returned to classes, the focus shifted to providing personalized support to those most affected by the storm. Generous donations will help families in need, severe damage to roads and bridges complicated the evaluation of safe bus routes and many residents who utilized the high school

shelter have successfully relocated to more sustainable housing.

To further assist families, the district offered free after-school camps for K-8 students and children of first responders. These camps provided crucial care during a challenging time, and regular after-school programs resumed on the first day back to school.

Despite significant obstacles, Ashe County Schools prioritized returning students to the classroom. Remote learning was not feasible for many families without electricity or internet access, and severe damage to roads and bridges complicated the evaluation of safe bus routes.

“We’ve seen daily progress on roads and bridges being rebuilt,” said Ashe County Schools Superintendent Eisa Cox. “The safety of students and staff traveling across the county has been and will remain a top priority.”

The Transportation Department worked closely with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to develop new bus routes.

Over 200 students required new stops, and 23 of the 31 bus routes were adjusted.

Sebastian Albino

Photo courtesy Ashe County Schools. Westwood Elementary School was used as a supply distribution center near West Jefferson.

Photo courtesy Ashe County Schools. Volunteers preparing BBQ chicken at Blue Ridge Elementary School.

Photo courtesy Ashe County Schools. Volunteers serving food in the parking lot of Ashe County High School, which also served as the county’s emergency shelter.

Photo courtesy Ashe County Schools. Supplies being distributed at Mountain View Elementary School in Jefferson.

High Country Hurricane Heroes: Chaz James and Jennifer Triplett

By Jerry Snow

Chaz James, Jennifer Triplett, and their fellow volunteers are good examples of humanity at its best.

While many residents are still suffering from living in the path of Hurricane Helene, Jennifer and Chaz have helped ease a lot of pain over the last several months — and they are just getting started.

Chaz and Jennifer both jumped to action when they saw how many of their neighbors were struggling to survive Helene’s devastation.

Chaz has lived in Avery and Watauga counties for about 25 years, and she’s been friends with Jennifer since they went to college together. Like their team of fellow volunteers, Chaz and Jennifer remain committed to helping residents of the High Country that had their homes and possessions washed away or destroyed during Hurricane Helene.

Three days after Helene’s destruction, Chaz realized she had to take action in her community of Newland. She knocked on the front door of every neighbor she could find and started making a list of their needs. In Watauga County, Jennifer also checked in on neighbors and asked what they needed.

“We connected on social media and realized we were doing the same thing, so we decided to work on disaster relief together,” Jennifer said. “It blew up from there.”

Since then, the dynamic duo and their fellow volunteers have helped hundreds of people with almost any kind of need imaginable.

It is important to Jennifer and Chaz that the enthusiasm to help out the devastated communities of the High Country stays high. That’s why Jennifer and Chaz are in the process of forming a nonprofit organization.

“We were taking in a lot of Venmo donations, and ‘I’ll send a check’ sort of things, and finally my husband said, ‘Maybe we need to do this another way,’” said Jennifer, who is a nurse at Watauga Hospital in Boone. “We came to the conclusion that to get big funding, we needed to form a nonprofit. So that’s what we’re doing. It’s going to take years to rebuild.”

Chaz received a Facebook message a few days later from a friend, Mina White, that became life-changing for many.

“Mina said, ‘We’ve got people that want to fly up supplies in planes and helicopters,’” Chaz recalled.

Chaz started scrambling when Mina said three planes and a helicopter were hovering with supplies and had no place to land. So she called Elk River Club, which has a private airport. Those planes landed at Elk River, starting a steady flow of supply planes and helicopters that have delivered necessities for months.

Chaz said Robert Lincks of Columbia, S.C., helped coordinate the civilian pilots and lined up the planes. Through donations, they quickly raised more than $40,000, mainly fueling the planes. Chaz promptly put her project management experience to good use. She helps families assess the damage to their homes, determine what materials they need, and arrange for delivery. Spreadsheets help them keep track of where every donated dollar goes. She said they keep every receipt. Chaz said their dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to get storm victims whatever they need. The goal is to fulfill every family’s wish list. They deliver refrigerators, stoves, medicine, clothes, boots, furniture, groceries, propane, generators, heaters, firewood, campers, used cars, toys, cleaning supplies and the spreadsheet goes on and on.

“We provide wardrobes for entire families,” Chaz said. “We make sure every child gets 6 or 7 outfits.”

Jennifer and Chaz like to point out how many people from off the mountain have put their lives on hold to serve these storm victims.

Joe Stull, from Denver, N.C., is an example. “He’s not from here,” Chaz said. “But he put his business on hold to come up here and help people. It is amazing what he has done. He’s brought crews up here.

He said he got a message from God to come help.”

They have also teamed up with Lynne Lear of Banner Elk, another community champion, to ensure that every child in the area got to celebrate Christmas. Lynne organizes Operation High Country Christmas.

“Lynne is a force,” Chaz said. “We don’t want any of the credit. The gifts are from Santa.”

Ashley Reed, a realtor living in Lake Norman, is another volunteer who has stood out even without having a dog in the fight and raised money for distressed families.

Brandy Boone runs Scooter’s Underdogs, a nonprofit that rescues animals. “She rescues a lot more than animals,” Chaz said of Brandy. “They have saved so many animals. They have found a home for so many displaced pets.” Located at 128 Old Mill Rd. in Elk Park, Scooter’s Underdogs Rescue gives out free pet supplies through donations.

“We’ve created such a great team,” Chaz said. “It’s our mission to find these people and get them what they need. We make a list of what people need and we have so many people that are capable of getting the supplies and getting them delivered.”

Photo submitted

Jennifer (Hampton) Triplett, left, and Chaz James, shown moving bunkbeds, have been working diligently to help victims of Hurricane Helene. Together, the longtime friends are forming a nonprofit organization.

Photo submitted

Kaleb Measimer, left, is one of the pilots who has delivered supplies to storm victims in the High Country, and fundraiser Robert Lincks has been the organizer of the flights.

Photo submitted Chaz James has been delivering supplies to storm victims in need since last October.

WAMY Weatherization and Hurric aneHelene

WhenHurricane Heleneswept through, it left behindapath of destruction-flooded homes, damagedinfrastructure, andshaken communities. As WAMY’s Housing Auditor, Iknewour Weatherization program wasabout more than just energy efficiency.It’sabout making homessafer, more livable, andmore resilient. After thestorm,Ihit the ground runningtocheck on our clients, ensuring they were safe and their needsweremet.

From WAMY ’s Housing Audi tor, Melanie Jirk a

Oneofmyfirststops wasMarian, wholivesinatrailer park in Aver yCounty. The damage from thestorm was clear-waterhad surgedthrough thepark, leavingdebris andsoaked ground in itswake. When IarrivedatMarian’s home,Ifound relief seeingher sittinginher living room with herneighbor.Marian, aretired paramedic who spentdecades helping others,immediately apologized formissingher heat pump installationappointment on September27th.

Iquicklyassuredher no onewas upset, andshe began recounting herexperience.That morning, thesheriff hadcomebangingonher door,urgingher to evacuate immediately.She wastaken first to theGreen Valley Fire Department,but as thewatersrose, they hadtoevacuate again to alocal church.Her story washarrowing,but her resilience shone through.

Marian’s primar yconcernwas herhome. Floodwaters hadsoaked theinsulationunderneathher trailer,and she feared thedamagewas beyondrepair. Ireassuredher that ourteamhad it covered. We promisedtocut open the trailer’s underbelly,dry theareaout,repairthe ducts, and install newinsulation. Herface litupwhenshe exclaimed, “You’refixin’meupall fancy!”Her joyremindedmewhy this work is so important

Another memorablevisit waswithasinglemom in Watauga County whosehomealsosuffered damage. Floodwaters hadcompromisedher brand-new heat pump,acrucial tool forkeeping herfamilywarm. She hadalready paid adeposittoanHVACcompany but was unawarethatwecould helpwithrepairs.WhenItoldher we’d takecareofthe heat pump andthatshe couldget her depositback, hersurpriseturnedintorelief

Butitdidn’t stopthere.Wealsoplanned to seal drafts, insulate thefloors,and makeher home more energyefficientoverall.Itwasn’tjustabout fixingthe immediate stormdamage-itwas about creating awarm, safe space whereshe andher childwouldn’t have to worr yabout highenerg ybillsduringwinter.

How WAMY ’s Weatherization ProgramHelps

WAMY’s Weatherization Programbringssolutions wherethey’re needed most.Our work involvesinsulating wallsand floors, sealingair leaks, repairingHVAC systems,and improving overall energy efficiency.The result?Families stay warm in winter,coolinsummer,and save on their utilitybillsevery year.But theprogram goes beyondfinancialsavings; it givespeoplearenewed sense of security andpride in their homes.

Forseniors like Marian andsinglemomslikethe one Imet, this programislife-changing. It’s aboutmaking homessafer, more comfortable, andbetterequipped to handle disasters like Hurricane Helene.

After thestorm,wedidn’t just continue ourworkas planned-werampeditup. Ourteamattendedcounty planningmeetings, reachedout to affected families, knockedondoors,and cooked mealstosupportour neighbors. It wasacommunity effort, underscoringwhat it means to be Mountain Strong!

Changing LivesOne Home at aTime

The joyand relief Isee in ourclients’faces remindme dailywhy Idothiswork. Whetherit’sMarianjoking about her“fancy” repairs or thesinglemom blown away by thehelpshe didn’t know wasavailable, their gratitude motivatesusto keep going.

At WAMY,weknowthat strengtheningcommunities starts at home.Bymaking homesmore energy-efficient, safer, andstorm-resilient, we’renot just rebuildingdamaged structures-we’re restoring hope andstability.And we’llcontinuetodothis work,one family at atime, as part of this strong, resilient High Countr ycommunity.

The PromiseofCommunity Ac tion!

Community Action changespeople’slives, embodiesthe spirit of hope,improvescommunities andmakes Americaabetterplace to live.Wecare aboutthe entire community andweare dedicated to helping people help themselvesand each other.

Inthe wake of Hurricane Helene, we havewitnessed an incredible nthe Hurricane have witnessed an display of resilience, compassion, andunity. Seeingeveryonecome together –whether through sharingresources, offering ahelping hand,orsimply being there forneighbors –has exemplified the spirit hand, or simply of acommunity. We are so proud to be apartofthe High County. proudtobeapartofthe

—Rhonda Smith, Owner

High Country Hurricane Heroes: The Brinker Family

By Nick Fogleman

The Brinker family has deep ties to Watauga County going back to the 1950s when Will and Eric Brinker’s great-grandfather built a farm outside of Blowing Rock. They visited this property on family vacations, holidays, and special occasions, eventually moving to the area to start businesses and raise families.

So when Hurricane Helene hit, they knew they had to help with recovery efforts however they could.

“We’ve been here for about 10 years, but Eric and Will have been coming up here their whole lives,” Emily Brinker said. “They have a deep connection and just a love for the people.”

In the days after the storm, the Brinkers assembled volunteers at The Speckled Trout Outfitters in Blowing Rock and went out searching for people to help. Will, Eric, Emily, Erica and Mary Alison Brinker soon took new roles and found themselves directing resources and volunteers to help those in need.

“In the beginning, we said, ‘We’re going to get in a truck and find people that need help,’” Will said. “We were trying to connect resources, increase those resources and connect with people’s needs.”

Throughout their relief efforts, the family didn’t hesitate to use their businesses to bring desperately needed resources and skilled laborers into the region to support immediate and long-term disaster relief.

In the weeks after the storm, Eric Brinker was able to bring skilled workers from his company, The NorthGate Construction Group in Raleigh. In the first week of recovery, they installed more than 70 generators and established 20 distribution sites, providing temporary power, water, and internet connectivity.

“Before the storm, I asked all my guys to gather as many generators, extension cords, tarps, and roof patching materials, and brought the whole staff up here as soon as the roads were safe,” Eric said. “I’ve got a great team there.”

Will Brinker utilized his company, The Landfill

Group, to supply resources and bring desperately needed equipment and workers to repair roads, rebuild bridges and distribute supplies.

“For everything somebody saw us do, there were probably 50 people alongside me and behind me,” Will said.

Mary Alison became instrumental in supporting the relief efforts at the First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock and became a distributor, coordinator and connector for the community.

Emily and Erica Brinker utilized their space at The Speckled Trout Outfitters to coordinate volunteers, distribute food throughout the region and so much more as the disaster relief became a family effort.

“It was a huge effort in collecting people and putting them where the need is greatest,” Emily said.

Emily’s son Ryland, who sells his artwork at Art

in the Park, set up a fundraiser through an art show at The Speckled Trout Outfitters.

“It was a really emotional time for us,” Eric Brinker said. “I feel like God had us ready for this.”

In the first week of relief efforts, the family and their volunteers unloaded 36 planes and 26 helicopters at the Avery County Airport and installed 72 generators and 26 donated Starlink units.

With professional opportunities on hold and the cost of fuel, labor, and equipment ongoing, the Brinkers turned to the Build for Good Foundation, the family’s organization that had previously raised money for small projects in the community.

“This is only going to be sustainable if we find a way to finance this, so we started publicly fundraising for hurricane relief,” Eric said.

As the family moved into long-term relief and raised money through the Build for Good Foundation, the organization was able to begin rebuilding houses, contributing to major repair projects, and taking care of the community they cared so much about.

“I feel like it’s going to take years, but we’re committed to being here till it’s over,” Eric said. “There are a lot of people who are still going to need help for some time.”

“We can’t fix everything, but we can make progress towards fixing something every day,” Will said.

Every member of the Brinker family mentioned that while they have been working hard to provide relief, they could not have done it without the many volunteers, organizations, and employees who provided everything from discounted equipment to time, money, and generosity.

“It is so much larger than one individual. When a community rallies together, not only can we reach everyone, but we can begin to heal together,”

Erica Brinker said.

The Build for Good Foundation is currently fundraising to transition to long-term needs.

Community members can make a tax deductible donation to The Build for Good Foundation at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/thebuildforgoodfoundation/

Photo by Lonnie Webster

The Brinker family was recognized by The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce for their relief efforts. “It is so much larger than one individual. When a community rallies together, not only can we reach everyone, but we can begin to heal together,” Erica Brinker said.

Photo Submitted

The Speckled Trout Outfitters in Blowing Rock became a hub with several volunteers showing up every morning to provide relief in the weeks after the hurricane.

Pulling together to bring back Lansing’s one grocery store

By Nathan Ham

Lansing was a one-grocery store town until it was significantly damaged by flood waters when Hurricane Helene rampaged through Ashe County and the southern Appalachian Mountains at the end of September.

Jamey and Trish Hart were there as water began rising in downtown Lansing, eventually pouring into CJ’s Market.

“It was around 11:30 a.m. when we started to get apprehensive. By noon, we went from worrying about cleaning up to thinking we better get out of here quickly,” Jamey said.

Once the water began to recede, it did not take long for the Hart family to discover just how much the flood had impacted their beloved business. Jamey said that the official measurement inside the store showed the water reaching a depth of six feet and one inch inside. Just down the

street, Jamey said, the water reached up to eight feet at the fire department.

Jamey estimates that CJ’s Market suffered around $800,000 in damages from Hurricane Helene.

The Harts learned quickly that they were not alone in their recovery efforts. Every store along NC Hwy 194, more commonly known as Main Street in Lansing, suffered some level of flood damage from the storm.

“I would never say ‘I wished this would happen,’ but I absolutely will say I’m thankful to see what’s happening afterward. This community was close to start with, but when this is over, it will be a family,” Jamey said.

As they planned to begin cleaning up on the first Saturday after the storm, Jamey was surprised to see what awaited them outside CJ’s Market.

“We actually showed up the next morning just

to survey and around 30 people were here waiting on us. They already had the windows boarded up, but wouldn’t go in until we got here. By Sunday, we had a lot of basic cleaning done,” Jamey said.

They don’t believe anything from inside the store will be salvageable, but with the building still standing and a community of support behind them, the hopes are to reopen the store at some point.

“The only plan is one day at a time. We are working towards reopening, but have no idea how long that will take,” Jamey said. “This is a resourceful little town with huge hearts. I will say the outside folks sent here to organize the response are shocked at how well we had already organized. The leaders are doing a great job, the workers as well, and countless volunteers from all over. It’s a great thing to be a part of.”

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jimmy and Jean’s

By Francisco Hernandez

A mother-daughter duo has utilized their family entertainment business as a supply hub to meet the needs of the people in Ashe, surrounding communities, and even across multiple states.

Jen Byland and her daughter, Taylor Lonon, opened the arcade’s doors on Sept. 28 after realizing their facility still had power, water, and internet access.

“We decided to open up our doors to the general public so they could bring their kids in to play for free in the playground and inflatables,” Byland said. “People could also come in to charge their phones and use our internet and get a hot meal.”

What began as a simple mission grew bigger in the following days as people began donating supplies for those affected by Hurricane Helene.

“Supplies started showing up. Volunteers also started showing up and it just kind of grew organically,” Byland said.

With the help of volunteers, Jimmy and Jean’s Family Entertainment and Arcade provides supplies, food, clothing, and even mental health counseling to whoever comes through its doors every day.

“We’re here 12 to 15 hours a day and seven days a week since Friday of the storm,” Lonon said. Their commitment, along with the many volunteers that come in each day, has allowed them to provide supplies and clothing to more than 4,500 families and greater than 20,000 meals. They have also facilitated the delivery of supplies to more than 3,000 trucks and trailers, helping six other counties, including Alleghany, Avery, Buncombe, and Watauga in North Carolina, Grayson County in Virginia, and Johnson County in Tennessee. Byland said that they have had a lot of support from more than 800 volunteers, and none of it would have been possible without them.

“We’ve had a lot of the same people every day helping out. Some would volunteer for three or four days, rest for a couple of days, then come in and go straight to it,” Byland said.

Lonon said many of those volunteering have utilized their planned time off at work or would come straight to their facility right after work.

The mother and daughter team have also been thinking about a long-term plan as many continue to rely on them this winter.

“This isn’t going to be over in two more weeks, two more months, probably not even two years. As long as we can keep the lights on and have the supplies, we’re going to continue to open our doors every day,” Lonon said.

Jimmy and Jean’s is located at 230 Hice Ave. in West Jefferson.

For more information, please visit their Facebook page at Jimmy & Jean’s Family Entertainment and Arcade.

Photo by Francisco Hernandez. Jimmy and Jean’s in downtown West Jefferson has become a supply hub for many families trying to recover from Hurricane Helene’s effects.

Photo by Andy McLean Jamey Hart and his wife Trish outside of CJ’s Market. They estimate that their store received around $800,000 in damages from Hurricane Helene.

Photo by Andy McLean Volunteers at CJ’s Market in Lansing are taking a short break outside.

Taylor and Jen Byland

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jerry Markland

By Jamie Shell

It is often said that true heroes emerge in the face of adversity. This was certainly the case for Elk Park native Jerry Markland, a resident of the Blevins Creek community in Avery County, who became a beacon of hope and resilience during and after Hurricane Helene’s devastation in late September. Balancing multiple roles as an emergency room nurse, church elder and, volunteer and devoted son, Jerry’s unwavering dedication left an indelible mark on his neighborhood and community.

Despite his demanding job in the emergency room, where he provided critical care to those in need, Jerry didn’t hesitate to extend his support beyond the hospital walls. His role as a church leader saw him step up to help serve in a distribution center at his home, Elk Park Christian Church, ensuring that essential supplies reached those affected by the hurricane, whether through loading groceries and supplies or lending an ear or an embrace to those struggling.

“I remember Sept. 26 vividly. My wife Ella and I knew a big storm was coming. She was on call that night, so we stayed the night at the hospital. I was not on call, but I went just in case the folks there needed some extra help, or if victims came in,” Markland explained. “We spent the night sleeping on an inflatable camp mattress in her office there. The rain beat all night long. I can still hear it, and I watched it a lot through her office window. We got up the next morning, and I was never called. We still had cell service at that point, and we were trying to trek back to our house that Friday morning.”

When the storm subsided, the aftermath presented a new set of challenges. Roads were blocked by fallen trees, while communications and access to essential services was severely restricted.

“When we came from the hospital, driving through town, there were landslides everywhere, trees were down, and in the center of Newland, we drove through at least two feet of water, push-

ing through it with our car bumper. I’ve never been in a car in water that deep,” Markland recalled.

As he neared his home, Jerry witnessed utter devastation as trees blocked the regular road used to access his house. With trees blocking his road in both directions, he and his wife parked near an adjacent highway on the hill above his house and hiked one-quarter mile down to his residence. What he witnessed at home was astounding.

“There are downed trees everywhere. We’re having to climb under and over trees just to make it home,” Jerry said.

Upon arriving home, Jerry’s brother contacted him with concern over his mother, who had a landslide that affected her home. While working to divert water from the basement of her house, a second landslide occurred.

“It was like the Lord said, ‘You get out of there,’ because we all turned and started screaming and running. Ells said it was like a hand pushing everything down the mountain. When the second slide hit, it was three times as large as the first one, pushing around 25-footlong trees up against her house and breaking the center concrete support to her house, breaking out garage doors and leaving the basement full of mud. Honestly, for the first three weeks, every time I would hear thunder or anything, it would send cold chills up my spine because of how close we were to being caught in that slide. The hand of God protected us.”

Jerry took it upon himself to address the obstacles of not only his family needs, but prioritize as well the needs of others, head-on. Equipped with chainsaws, he got to work for his neighbors, tirelessly working for hours to clear paths and a lane of roadway of trees so he and neighbors on Blevins Creek could access the main highway safely. His efforts were not just about removing debris, but also about restoring a sense of normalcy and hope.

Jerry continued his work shifts, even as communications became nonexistent countywide. That weekend, he

helped deliver water and supplies to the Little Elk community members who needed them. On his next day off the following Wednesday, he began helping at his church at the donation center there.

“Our job was manning the distribution center, arranging and storing things, and then checking on people delivering supplies and delivering water, making sure people that came in had what they needed,” Markland noted. “I would give people anything they asked for. I didn’t care if you want six of them, you can have seven of them, you know? And then we would meet all these people, volunteers that were from different states and different places. It became sort of a routine for us, working at the church. Ella and I would say, ‘We’re just gonna go out there for a couple of hours,’ and then look at our watch and realize we’d been there for six hours. To see so many people coming through and to see all the giving from people, it was just amazing.”

Jerry made it a point to continue to visit neighbors, checking in on them and providing much-needed supplies. Whether it was food, water, or other essentials, Jerry ensured that no one was left behind or did without.

Approximately three weeks passed before Jerry and his family were able to tend to the driveway and other storm damage at his home, but his heart was first and foremost about his community. “We were alive. We had our house,

and there were people suffering much greater than we were, and I had the time and the ability to do it, and God said to do it, and I said, Yes, sir,” Jerry added. “There were times we’d go to the church for a couple hours, and we would be out there for six, not because we were guilted into it. It’s just that Ella and I both felt like that’s where we needed to be, so that’s what we did.”

Markland’s story is a testament to the spirit of resilience and the power of community. In the face of a natural disaster, his commitment provided a lifeline to many. His actions have not only helped his community in the recovery process, but have also inspired others to come together and support one another. Rather than taking pride in his own efforts, he immediately praises the efforts of those who gave time, resources and efforts to help the community rebuild and recover.

“This world is full of hatred, and after the storm, I didn’t see that. I didn’t see hatred anymore. In those weeks, I saw the smiles, and people reaching out their hand to help. I saw people donating everything they have to help people, and I hope one day that I’ll be able to repay or to help someone like that pay that forward,” Markland said. “I think when you give, you get a blessing. You give a blessing, you get more blessings, you know? That’s my big takeaway, is just to see how it was just amazing how people come together to help.”

Photo submitted

Jerry Markland, pictured with his wife Ella, assisted many people in need in their neighborhood and community.

Photo submitted

The collapsed garage of Jerry Markland’s mother’s home on Blevins Creek.

Photo submitted

Jerry Markland removed trees in the road caused by multiple landslides and fallen trees that cut off access on Blevins Creek Road.

Photo submitted

Although Markland’s actual home did not sustain damage, he assisted with cleanup from landslides nearby at his mother’s home and other locations in the Blevins Creek community.

Photo submitted

A small creek at Markland’s home became a river, knocking down a driveway sign as it damaged the Blevins Creek area.

High Country Hurricane Heroes: Ashley Galleher and Valentine Reilly

By Luke Barber

In the month since Hurricane Helene made landfall in the mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee, Zionville Ramp Co’s resource center at the stateline has become a lifeline for those in the surrounding community most impacted by the storm.

Beyond the bountiful supplies of canned goods, peanut butter, water, clothing, batteries, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, diapers and baby products, propane canisters, livestock feed and just about everything else under the sun, the volunteers at the state line have also been connecting people with the resources they need to help get back on their feet and back in their homes.

Ashley Galleher, owner of Zionville Ramp Co, is leading the effort. She has temporarily transformed her indoor skatepark at the border between Watauga and Johnson County into a hub for Hurricane recovery.

Galleher said the recovery efforts began with a few cans of tuna and jars of mayo. Soon after, donations began pouring in by the truckload. The center quickly became a vital resource for the surrounding counties.

“We started hearing stories about what the greater needs were. So, we started a needs list and a resources list. People were coming in, offering to help. Some of them were tradespeople. Some of them had supplies. We’ve been trying to document it and get them in the system,” Galleher said.

People began arriving with chainsaws and heavy equipment to fix driveways. People with smokers and food trucks arrived to

help feed those arriving at the center. Meanwhile, those who were more tech-savvy chipped in to help people fill out FEMA applications, and reps from Watauga Riverkeeper arrived to help with the well testing.

Galleher said that in the month after the storm, a steady flow of people arrived to pitch in with recovery using whatever skills they had.

“Everyone’s just showing up and being useful and bringing their specific skill set,” Gelleher said.

“Everyone’s been staying in their lane with what they’re good at, and that’s so cool to see. Everyone’s being so humble and awesome and just truly loving other people.”

As temperatures have dropped, a more focused effort has been made to keep people warm as winter draws near. People have been donating propane canisters to help heat homes, and truckloads of firewood have been brought in.

“We’ve got a lot of people that are not in their homes. They’re camping. They’re staying with friends and family. They’re in places where maybe the power was out for a while. There are some families still without power, but we’ve been able to get these safe indoor propane heaters to them,” Galleher said.

According to Valentine Reilly, who also helps run the resource center, the center receives between 100 to 500 people a day who come to pick up supplies in the months following the storm. Based on conversations with their visitors and the records they keep, Reilly said that it is estimated that about 5% of them have been

rendered homeless by the storm.

As recovery continues, Reilly said the team is shifting gears to get people supplies such as Dollar General and Food Lion gift cards to help the local economy. They also provide housing recovery and small business grants through a local nonprofit called Mountain Mermaids.

“It’s going to be need-specific recovery grants for people and small businesses, and right now, we could probably help 50 to 100 people with those needs with the funds that we’ve brought in,” Reilly said.

More recently, the center has been working to move its operations into 24/7 supply tents, which will be available to anyone at any time. Pickup dates and meals will be more limited as the holidays approach, and the business is working to reopen its indoor skatepark around the beginning of the year.

Despite her business being closed since the hurricane hit, she said it has more than been able to fulfill its mission.

“It’s always been bigger than skateboarding,” Galleher said. “I’m happy to be in this position where it’s even more of a community hub than I ever imagined.”

As the skatepark gradually opens back up, she plans to host fundraising events, benefit concerts, and offer more programs for the local kids.

Those interested in contributing to the recovery fund or volunteering can visit the Stateline Resource Station and Rural Distribution Center on social media or visit linktr.ee/statelineresourcestation.

Photo by Luke Barber Valentine Reilly, who runs Kind Designs -- a local screen printing business, has been helping volunteer and raise funds for the Stateline Resource Station.

Photo by Luke Barber Christy Wold helps volunteer at the Stateline Resource Station.

Photo by Luke Barber Mary Ballard and other volunteers got into the Halloween spirit while providing supplies to those affected by Hurricane Helene.

Photo by Luke Barber Folks from the surrounding communities arrive to pick up supplies from the Stateline Resource Station.

Photo by Luke Barber Volunteers at the Stateline Resource Station help organize supplies.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Andy Hill

By Luke Barber

Andy Hill, the Watauga River Keeper

and the High Country Regional

Director

of MountainTrue, knows a thing or two about the importance of clean water and just how powerful water can be during a historic event like Hurricane Helene.

Usually, Hill and the four other area river keepers, who work in the river basins in western North Carolina, east Tennessee, and north Georgia, are concerned with the ecological health of the rivers for providing safe drinking water and to support the tourism economy for activities like fly fishing, rafting, and public access.

However, during Hurricane Helene, Hill witnessed first-hand just how dire the situation around the water sheds had become. The rivers’ ability to swell due to immense rainfall and sweep away anything in its path became evident as during the early days and weeks in the aftermath of the storm, Hill used his extensive knowledge of the local waterways to help search for the missing and conduct welfare checks on those who were most isolated.

“We were doing the same thing a lot of people were doing early on, which was delivering critical needs and supplies to folks who’ve been isolated,” Hill said. “On the ATVs, we were able to deliver things like water and needed medicine. Early on, those were things like epinephrine and Benadryl.”

Hill said the first 10 days of the storm response were a blur as he and others worked tirelessly to contact mountain residents in the deepest Hollars and

down the most winding waterways. He was pleasantly surprised upon reaching those he thought would be the most isolated to find they had already been visited by their local fire department.

“My two real takeaways from the storm was how fortunate we are in the High Country to have so many people that care about each other, neighbors helping neighbors,” Hill said. “I saw a lot of that, and I think we saw a tremendous response from our local emergency responders, like our firefighters, EMS, and police, who were working tirelessly together to find people.

As the days and weeks progressed, Hill said the nonprofit environmental organization was working the phones and paying visits to its members to make sure everyone was okay. He said they delivered replacement oxygen tanks to one of their members, which he said he felt really good about being able to help with.

As rescue efforts calmed down, Hill soon returned to the organization’s mission of ensuring water quality. The organization, which has a water quality lab at Hill’s office in Boone, partnered with the local Department of Health and Human Services to conduct well tests to detect the presence of E. coli and other harmful bacteria.

Hill said Wine to Water was instrumental in helping distribute water filters to households whose well systems were damaged by the floods. Test kits were also available at supply distribution sites like the Stateline Resource Center. Ultimately, the tests revealed that for every 100 wells that were tested, 30 of

them were compromised.

“Some of the lingering impacts are from the stormwater. Everything that was in the roadway, in a parking lot or in a septic field, all that ends up in the river,” Hill said. “I think a lot of the contamination came from water coming in through the wellhead or a house that was inundated. The contamination could also be through their water line.”

After receiving a test indicating contamination, the health department would come out and “shock the system” with chlorine to kill the bacteria, then run the chlorine out until the water came out clear.

Aside from the immediate health impacts, Hill also witnessed the immense environmental impacts of the storm, as the flood waters caused severe erosion and brought large piles of debris into the river basin.

“We saw the devastating effects of this flood and the rainfall with the hurricane coming on when the river was already full. We had seven inches of rain that previous week, so there was really nowhere for that water to go. So we saw severe erosion, devastating mudslides, loss of life and damaged infrastructure,” Hill said.

Efforts began immediately to remove trash from the river basins. MountainTrue created and sent out a form for people to report debris accumulation areas. Each year, through volunteer efforts, the organization also plants about 20,000 trees along the riverbanks using a process known as live staking.

Back in August, MountainTrue and Watauga River Keeper completed a

project to remove the remnants of Shull’s Mill Dam to help the free flow of water along the waterway. This process involved relocating hellbender salamanders. Hill said one of the most disheartening things about the storm was seeing the iconic species washed up on roadsides and other places where they were not meant to be.

“We found so many, pardon me, desiccated, dried out and dead hellbenders in the floodway that have been pushed out of their homes and into fields and roads,” Hill said. “What does that mean for loss of biodiversity? What does ecological health mean for us, that means protecting biodiversity.”

Over the coming months, MountainTrue and Watauga River Keeping are organizing clean-up and planting efforts throughout the area to help the local ecology recover from the storm and prevent further erosion.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Hill said he remains optimistic about the community’s resilience and ability to recover from the storm.

“This still is a wonderful, wonderful place with a lot of hope for the future. There was plenty of despair to go around. It was a very traumatic, sad and terrifying experience for a lot of people, but seeing folks show up for each other and help out made me really proud and grateful to live here,” Hill said.

For more information and to get involved, visit mountaintrue.org/regional-offices/hco/.

Photo courtesy Andy Hill All-terrain vehicles were crucial in accessing the most hard-toreach places.

Photo courtesy Andy Hill Hill said one of the most disheartening aspects of the storm was seeing the Hellbenders washed up on roadways and other places.

Photo courtesy Andy Hill Hellbender salamanders that were washed away from their homes during the flood.

Photo courtesy Andy Hill Hurricane Helene caused severe erosion along the waterways.

Photo by Luke Barber

Andy Hill surfaces for air while searching for Hellbenders a few months before the storm.

High Country Hurricane Heroes: Matt and April Barnes

By Nathan Ham

It started with picking up a pallet of water for Matt and April Barnes, and quickly became something much larger as the two volunteered countless hours and days to help the devastated community of Creston.

Matt picked up a donated pallet of water at Lowe’s Hardware in West Jefferson just a couple of days after Hurricane Helene swept through Ashe County. The water was going to be taken to the Creston Volunteer Fire Department.

“As soon as he got back into service, he called me and asked me to get on Facebook and ask if we could borrow a cooker because he said they needed food at the fire department,” April said. “When I did, Rebecca Cole, whom we had never met but come to find out we only live less than a mile from each other, responded immediately and offered to bring a cooker she had access to.”

After that, April said the “food response was enormous.”

“Angi Burr and Kristen Hodges from Boondocks offered food, Becky Pike from Craft Bistro, Callie Birdsell Carson, O Benton from O’s Thai restaurant, Crystal and Mikey Blevins, Monsie from Hillbilly Grill, Kristen Howell from Hook’d on Smoke, the Musicians Missionaries of Mercy and the list goes on and on,” April said.

Seeing the destruction along NC Highway 88 to the Creston Fire Department was heart-wrenching, according to April.

“I cried most of the way because both of my paternal grandparents, Juanita and Delmer Roten, who are my greatest role models, grew up in the Creston community. I spent a lot of my childhood on Rich Hill and Three Top, playing with cousins, so Creston holds a very special place in my heart. Once there, we knew this was where we needed to be, so some longtime friends and many complete strangers got to work,” April said.

April and Matt worked with numerous volunteers from as nearby as students from Appalachian State to as far away as a group of 20 veteran roofers from New York and volunteering couples from Florida.

“They came and helped us cook; they moved supplies, fixed leaks, and shoveled mud,” April said.

During their time at the Creston Fire Department, April had the chance to meat with fire chief Junior Seatz as well as new residents Jerrod and Lauren Sutcliffe who had just moved here from Connecticut.

“They asked for some specific things, and I used my connections on social media to get the supplies we needed as soon as possible,” April said.

April says early in that volunteers from outside of the area as well as numerous from within the Creston community came together to sort supplies, load and unload

vehicles, moved dirt with heavy machinery and cooked around 600 meals each day.

“We also unload several Army helicopters of supplies, and when I asked Jerrod why he didn’t jump at the chance to unload one, he said the helicopters landing nearby and the amount of devastation reminded him too much of his deployments to war zones. This statement really stayed with me,” April said.

April, who owns and operates April’s School of Dance, said she didn’t feel like they did as much as a lot of the real heroes, like the firefighters who have had to continue to deal with the storm devastation and balance that with their jobs and firefighter responsibilities.

“As much as I didn’t want to leave the relief efforts, we had to get back to work. I had to get back to giving the kids in our community an outlet from so much heartache and go back to dance,” she said.

It wasanHONOR to assist our Sister Communication Companies, SkyL ine/SkyBes t& Carolina West Wireless in their Road to Re covery from HurricaneHelene. Their hard work anddedication exemplify the valueswehold dear.

Photo by April Barnes. Volunteers unload an Army helicopter that was full of supplies.

Photo by April Barnes.

April Barnes is pictured here with Addie Armstrong, a friend who came to Ashe County and stayed for two nights helping volunteer.

Photo by April Barnes.

Matt Barnes helps organize some donated items.

Photo by April Barnes. Volunteers prepared around 600 meals each day at the Creston Fire Department.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Tina Watson

By Zach Colburn

What started with wanting to feed one group of frontline workers turned into so much more during a trying time for Western North Carolina.

Tina Watson, the owner of the Blue Ridge Diner, just wanted to help in any way she could during Hurricane Helene’s aftermath and clean-up.

It started with the linemen who were also regulars at the diner and were on call for sometimes 17-hour workdays.

“I got to thinking, what could I do for the Blue Ridge Electric Boys? That’s what made me think in the beginning; then, once I saw how catastrophic it was, I decided to think, ‘What could I do to help them?’ We took a little detour trying to get to the diner because we could not get out of the mountain where we live, which is down on Elk Creek. So we had to go around, and it took an eight-hour process to go around and get up here to check on things,” said Watson. “The Blue Ridge Electric Boys eat with me all the time, so we try to make sure that we always take care of the ones that help take care of us. And so probably a few days passed, and where I live at, we had, like, five trucks come up our road. They were from Roanoke (Va.) and had been contracted out, and I knew the least I could do was feed them.”

Watson asked the workers for a time frame and ensured meals were delivered; she did this every day for the first week before realizing the need was increasing. Between feeding workers — power crews, law enforcement, first responders or anybody volunteering in recovery efforts — her diner was still in operation and filled with people.

According to Watson, that’s when a friend of hers suggested asking for donations because they felt

people would help sponsor, and Watson was amazed by the response.

Ever since COVID, Watson said that any civil servants who dined with her while on duty had their meals covered.

“A dear friend reached out and she’s like, ‘you can’t keep doing this’ because I wanted to do it as long as I could. And she suggested asking for donations because people will sponsor. They wanted to reach out and contribute because people that don’t live or have homes here, they’re going to want to donate or whatever,” said Watson. “So I put on Facebook, if anybody would like to pay it forward to feed a utility worker, electric worker, you know, just message me; the response was awesome, everybody wanted to help, some would say all they can do is $5, some would say ‘all I could do is 100,’ and I’m like any small

amount is great.

“The donations kept coming, and I reached out more and more. So each week, I extended it from the utility from the electric workers to like the phone people, DOT — we tried to reach out in other areas, not just in this vicinity.”

As word spread, Watson’s reach continued to expand, going from Mountain City, Tenn., to Newland and in between. She and her staff individually boxed 125 meals each week, making several deliveries during that span.

Watson also delivered meals to the Fleetwood Fire Department, which also served as a hub for deliveries that was set up where people could come and get what they needed.

Her contributions weren’t limited to the High Country, she recently delivered donations to the Swannanoa and Black Mountain portions of Eastern Buncombe County.

Located on the outskirts of Asheville, Watson asked the Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth and Families what their needs would be and within a week to 10 days, she and her staff were able to pull it all together.

Watson and her staff also delivered 265 care packages to nursing homes in that area.

“Just doing that absolutely warmed my heart because a lot of them in those (nursing) facilities did not have family, and it was just very emotional because they kept saying, ‘we don’t have anybody that comes to see us,’” said Watson. “We gave them blankets, every little thing that we could because the coordinators would say, they like stuffed animals.”

Blue Ridge Diner is located at 5176 Old US 421 S in Deep Gap.

Photo by Zach Colburn

Tina Watson, owner of Blue Ridge Diner, has delivered donations all over Western North Carolina since Hurricane Helene hit.

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High Country Hurricane Hero: BRIM Aviation

By Christian Gardner

As Hurricane Helene made its way through the High Country, many jumped into action and rose to the call for help, which was heard loud and clear as the devastating storm came through.

First responders, county agencies, and civilians alike came together to help one another just as the clouds broke. Neighbors helped neighbors, and churches helped churches, but the news of the storm traveled as fast as the rains did, bringing people from all over the country ready and willing to help.

Utility vehicles and four-wheelers lined up what was left of the roads, and helicopters filled the sky. Both forms of transportation played major roles in the early recovery from the storm in the High Country.

As Helene tore through the mountains, rivers washed away roads and covered many others with landslides. As early as the evening of September 27, the Army National Guard and many civilians began shipping supplies via helicopter and airplane. One of many “heroes” making way via helicopter was BRIM Aviation.

Brim Aviation is a utility helicopter organization serving the United States as well as international clients. Brim Aviation operates MD 600, MD 902, MD 900, Agusta 109SP, and a Bell Huey. Founded in 1993 by Burl Brim, Brim Aviation offers a wide variety of services, including power line construction and maintenance support, search and rescue, HEC, hoist operations,

animal capture/survey, airborne law enforcement, aerial ignition, pipeline construction and survey, precision long line ops, construction services, fire suppression, mineral and seismic exploration, serial seeding and fertilization, aerial photography, as well as many other helicopter-based missions.

Chad Menneke is the Chief Pilot for BRIM Aviation. Menneke was notified that BRIM was contacted by a company called Trilogy, which is when Menneke flew a helicopter from Port Arthur, Texas to Hickory, NC. BRIM worked through Trilogy and once told them their capabilities, was approved and assigned them to Avery County. Immediately, Menneke and crew landed at the Avery Emergency Operations Center, where, with help from Pennsylvania Emergency Management, who was on hand helping Avery County, was on assignment ready to help Avery County.

Right away, BRIM was picking up special operations personnel from Fort Liberty and moving them to Avery County. Hundreds of troops were flown into Avery and put in various places for special projects. Menneke then also flew in Cary Fire Department and Winston-Salem Fire crews into Elk River, where teams began search and rescue in the area.

“We flew in those guys and the cadaver dogs for search and rescue. Then later, while the swift water crews were on the water, we’d fly in bagged lunches and drop them to them while on their boats,” said Menneke.

Personnel and lunch were far from the

only works BRIM was a part of in Avery County.

“After I would drop in crews to locations inaccessible by road, I would head back to the EOC, and pick up food, water, all sorts of supplies and start making drops,” said Menneke.

“County government and other folks with PA Emergency Management at the EOC would radio in lats and longs (latitudes and longitudes) where people would have called into the EOC. It was heartfelt when you would drop off supplies, people would be in tears as you dropped in.”

While BRIM was on hand, they were also asked to deliver bales of hay.

“We were asked if we could, and I said, ‘Sure, as long as we could figure out how to hook it up, and we started delivering hay to people.’” Hay became a hefty need in the High Country as many farmers with cattle, horses and more had large supplies of their own hay ruined by the storm.

“It was a little tricky. Some places we would try to deliver it when you dropped it, it would try to roll down the mountain, and we would have to use the helicopter to push it back up,” said Menneke.

Agencies working in tandem on land, sea and sky coordinated efforts and impressed Menneke.

“I can’t say thanks enough to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office, Cary Fire, Winston-Salem Fire, Special Forces folks out of Fort Bragg, and FEMA Urban Search and Rescue guys,” Meneke said. “There’s a million people that helped. There’s

probably four or five hundred people that were involved with work in the helicopter who were there.”

Menneke stated he carried out approximately 150 to 200 landings and takeoffs per day from the Avery EOC to elsewhere.

“I never counted it, but I know my arm hurt from flying so much,” jokingly stated Menneke. “The crew I had, hoist operator and mechanic, worked tirelessly to keep it up and running and clean, and everybody was a huge part of what we were doing while we were there. We were pretty sad to leave,” stated Menneke after spending seven days serving in Avery County.

When Menneke left Avery, BRIM was headed to Florida, where they would begin helping in the area where the next hurricane hit. He stated his time in Avery County isn’t finished yet, as BRIM will “more than likely” be coming back to Elk River to assist with damage assessments via helicopter.

BRIM was one of many aviation companies, as well as civilians, who helped with recovery efforts in Avery County. Several pilots out of Statesville and Charlotte began flying in supplies to Avery County Airport, where different crews would receive supplies and distribute them. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was making trips to the High Country, where on one trip, the former star was flagged down while in his helicopter in Banner Elk by a citizen flashing a mirror.

Photo courtesy Chad Menneke Crews who helped BRIM Aviation while in Avery County following the storm.

Photo courtesy Chad Menneke BRIM Aviation dropping off a bale of hay atop a mountain.

Photo courtesy Chad Menneke Chad Menneke flying across the color-filled Blue Ridge Mountains of Avery County in early October.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Chad Eggers

By Hailey Sackewitz

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the devastation in Avery County left many families grappling with unimaginable loss. Among them was a local water restoration professional whose life and work symbolized resilience and dedication to community recovery.

For Chad Eggers with Carolina Water Service, the water utility industry had always been more than a job—it was a calling.

“I enjoy working with others in the field,” he shared. “There’s something special about delivering reliable drinking water to your neighbors. People depend on us, and being a part of that is fulfilling.”

That sense of purpose took on new meaning when Hurricane Helene struck. The storm triggered a landslide that carried Eggers’ home 100 feet downhill while he, his wife Brittany and their three children were inside.

“In seconds, our lives were significantly changed,” he re-

called. “We lost everything—our belongings, our vehicles, our home. But we were blessed to escape without severe injury.”

Despite his loss, Eggers focused on the broader recovery effort.

“This is our home. Helping Newland and Avery County recover wasn’t just a job; it was a responsibility,” Eggers explained.

“Our first responders, churches and community organizations all came together to move things in the right direction. It makes me proud to live and work here.”

The hurricane transformed daily operations for the local water utility into a massive restoration effort. Eggers and his team faced incredible challenges, from flooded roads and fuel shortages to unreliable communication networks.

“It was difficult to even access the affected communities,” Eggers said. “But our company brought in resources and teammates from other states, and we all worked together. Seeing that

collective effort was inspiring.”

One of the most rewarding moments came in the form of community gratitude. “Our customers were so supportive— thanking us for restoring water service quickly and even for dropping off bottled water. That support kept us going.”

The experience underscored the importance of perseverance and service during crises for Eggers. “I wanted to be a role model for my children, to show them that things can improve and that we can play a positive role in making that happen,” he said.

The kindness of friends and neighbors has bolstered the family’s road to recovery. A GoFundMe campaign provided critical financial support, and even small gestures—a donation of clothes or a family photo session—helped them rebuild.

“It’s been incredible to see others using their gifts and talents to help us. It reminds us that we’re not alone in this.”

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jeff Cotten

By Peyton Ash

As the floods from Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, Friendship Baptist Church became an immediate beacon of triumph for smalltown Jefferson and much of Ashe County.

By mid-morning, the waters rose to heights not seen before. Houses were completely ripped off their foundations, personal belongings washed away, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

Leaping into action, youth pastor Jeff Cotten set aside his normal duties of instructing worship to help a community deeply wounded. From the first day of the storm, Cotten worked tirelessly to keep the church supplied with necessities such as baby diapers, canned goods, and clothes for struggling families. Many of the prepared

meals and donations to the church happened organically. Cotten saw the need for food in the area and collaborated with a handful of women from the church.

“It all came about through a few ladies in the church wanting to feed the community,” Cotten said. “Through donations to help make meals, donations just started flooding in, so we opened our doors to donations.”

With the help of ministries and other sources from all over the country, the church received an abundance of donations.

“The donations have come from all over. We have had trucks as far as Texas bring us truckloads. We have also been working with other ministries located outside the county to help bring in donations,” Cotten said. “I am sure we have given away or had at least $100,000 of supplies come through here.”

Being the supply keeper wasn’t the only job Cotten was given. He organized many teams that would “mud out” or dispose of large sums of mud in damaged homes, “tear out” the unlivable portions of houses, and help with recovery efforts.

Cotten helped anyone he could, pouring back into a devastated community, and leading the charge for rebuilding his town. Cotten emphasized that his work was to firstly glorify God while helping those around him.

“Our ultimate goal through all the donations, all the volunteer work, all the mud-outs, and the rebuilds is that people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We love people and want to help out in any way we can, but always first, we want people to know Jesus,” Cotten said.

Photo submitted

Chad Eggers working in the field. Eggers served many others despite losing his own home to Helene.

Photo submitted

The Eggers family home following a landslide caused by the rain and winds from Helene.

Photo submitted Chad Eggers with his family.

Photo submitted

Jeff Cotten and volunteers pushing supplies into the church.

Photo submitted Work got muddy for Cotten and others as they helped with recovery.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Elk River Helping Hands

By Jamie Shell

What began as a small band of individuals who wanted to help those in need became an organization that left an indelible impact on dozens of individuals and families across Avery County.

Elk River Helping Hands has been on the ground across Banner Elk and Avery County, distributing funds and offering a hand up to many who have lost everything from belongings to entire homes to the torrential waters of Hurricane Helene.

Toni Littleton, general manager of Elk River Club who serves with Elk River Helping Hands, explained that the organization’s genesis was intended to be a means to assist individuals in communities with financial, medical or other needs, sharing that a member of the club had attended several fundraisers last winter for families with significant financial needs and recognized that there was not an effective way to provide direct financial assistance.

“He’d gone to a couple of these fundraisers for people that had cancer, and in support of little Mercy Benfield and several events that people did. Mercy’s grandmother worked at the club for years and years, and so that one was really close to our hearts,” Littleton explained. “So it was really more about providing help with catastrophic illnesses that we first started talking about, and we had just kicked it off.”

The organization received its IRS designation in late July and began pitching the organization’s passion and mission to Elk River Club members on September 5. When Helene roared through the region later that month, Littleton was inundated with calls from members asking how they could send donations.

“We started getting donations from club members. I was at the

town hall, and they were good enough to give me an office to work in once our generator went down at the club. I heard that they were talking about how they had so many people who wanted to give money and how they didn’t really have a good way for them to give,” Littleton shared. “I said, ‘Wait a minute. We just started this charity,’ and we were approved to give financial assistance directly to people that had gone through a catastrophic event. So Laura Elder was there, Martha Laura Miller, Nancy Owen, they all just jumped in, set up a payment link, started sending it to people, and before we knew it, donations started coming in.”

In the initial days of the storm, Littleton explained that members of the organization who were working at the distribution center in Banner Elk began by providing assistance however they could.

“In the early days after the hurricane, when they got the distribution center set up, we were trying to figure out, ‘How do we reach people now that we’re getting money?’ So Nancy and Martha Laura Miller and one of our club members who lives here full time, went and they were setting up at distribution centers,” Littleton recalled. “They would interview people in the distribution centers and talk to them. We were doing small cash distributions, just to get them through not getting to work, especially as many places of the service industry were closed.”

ERHH conferred with longstanding relief organizations like Samaritan’s Purse and attended a countywide meeting in November on the topic of housing. The group has sought input from other organizations, as well as spoken with other individuals for insights into where the organization can help. Throughout the process, Elk River Helping Hands

continued to seek out ways to positively impact neighbors and fellow Avery Countians in the aftermath of the disaster.

“When we started the original round of disbursements that first week after the storm, we really didn’t know what we were going to get into, and we found people, especially in the Banner Elk area in particular, where the water and sewer was completely cut off and no businesses could open. So those first couple of weeks, we were just trying to get cash into people’s hands to meet those instant needs,”

Nancy Owen recalled about the early weeks of the organization’s efforts. ERHH did not seek fame or notoriety for its efforts, and those efforts stretched outside the limits of Banner Elk to all corners of the county. Owen explained that she visited various parts of the ravaged county to represent the nonprofit and offer help.

“We didn’t advertise that we were doing it. We went to different fire departments, we went to different country stores in the community,

and we were very discreet. We asked the community leaders, and we tried to make it a personal thing, where people didn’t feel like they were waiting in line for a handout,” Owen said. “We listened to them. We wanted to hear their story. We wanted to know what they went through, and basically, we wanted them to know that someone cared.”

Within the first three months since the storm, Elk River Helping Hands distributed more than $400,000 while directly providing aid to 172 people in the community. The work continues, however, as the organization is committed to continuing to help those with ongoing needs.

“We’ve compiled a list of people. We’re actually getting some of our ladies that are at the club yearround who want to get involved, so we may have them help us reach out,” Littleton shared. “We are determined to help as many people as we can and just want to do our part.”

For more information on Elk River Helping Hands, visit www.elkriverhelpinghands.org, email erhh@ elkriverhelpinghands.org or elkriverhelpinghands@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy Nancy Owen Elk River Helping Hands surprised Banner Elk Elementary School during the Christmas season with the gift of a paid chartered bus trip to Dollywood for the entire school.

Photo courtesy Nancy Owen Banner Elk Elementary School students react with glee in December as they learn that they were gifted with a chartered bus trip for a day at Dollywood as a school via the nonprofit organization Elk River Helping Hands.

unchealthappalachian.org

High Country Hurricane Hero: The Rock Boone

By Luke Barber

It did not take long after Hurricane Helene hit for Pastor Michael Gragg and church leadership at The Rock Boone to recognize the tremendous need that suddenly became apparent in the aftermath of the storm.

Within a week, the church took a small, defunct assisted living facility outside downtown Boone and turned it into temporary lodging for volunteers coming in from around the country to help with recovery efforts throughout Watauga County and beyond.

Gragg said the church’s response first began by cooking lunches for volunteer workers with Samaritan’s Purse before they and other organizations recognized the need to house the surplus of volunteers coming in to assist recovery efforts.

“We knew that this building was sitting vacant and had been dormant for a little while, but we knew that it had the capacity to do this,” Gragg said. “We just kind of painted a vision, and then once we painted a vision, volunteers started showing up.”

As renovations began, there was a whirlwind of activity at what the church has deemed The Serve Center. Volunteers showed up to pressure wash, landscape, haul gravel, and prepare the inside and outside for guests.

Dave Pastusic with A Cut Above Lawncare and Landscaping proved to be a key connection for the effort, as he was able to put the church in contact with Daniel Kilgore, previously of the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, who was able to donate nearly 100 mattresses, thus ensuring the 40-bed Serve Center would be able to function as intended. The remaining mattresses were donated to families affected by the hurricane.

Early on, Gragg said volunteers came to conduct and assist in search and rescue missions, traveling to some of the hardest-hit areas in Avery and Yancey County. Gragg said one group in particu-

lar, the Christian Rangers, went out with chainsaws to clear debris and search for the missing.

“Whatever it took, they were going to some of these harder-hit areas and just trying to make sure people were okay,” Gragg said. “They were also meeting the helicopters when the helicopters were dropping supplies and taking them out as well.”

As goods and donations were pouring in, Gragg said he and the church staff were working the phones to get supplies where they needed to go, whether to the Avery Airfield, the Stateline Resource Center, Wine to Water, or through the National Guard, which was taking resources to the most secluded and hard-to-reach places.

The church even started its own firewood ministry to help people stay warm as temperatures began to drop in October and November. As efforts progressed, Gragg said the sheer scale of the need gradually dawned on them as volunteers witnessed damaged homes and washed-away roads that would take significant time to fix.

“Our No. 1 goal through this is to provide housing. We are running a marathon so that those who can come sprint will come sprint. So if you can come sprint for three days and volunteer for three days, we want to run the marathon so that you can come do that,” Gragg said. “What we don’t know is how long the marathon is.”

In the three months since Hurricane Helene hit, recovery efforts across the region have gradually progressed from the immediate response, such as search and rescue and clearing the muck and debris from people’s homes, to gradually rebuilding, repairing and getting people back in their

homes where feasible.

Throughout this process, Gragg said it has been important for the Church to help people recover from their material losses and minister to their spiritual needs wherever they may be in the rebuilding process.

“I think what we really need to understand is when people would pass by the piles of trash on the side of the road, that wasn’t just stuff, those were people’s lives. There were wedding albums in there, or there were pictures of them holding their firstborn child. I know it looks bad, but we have to have the grace and the mercy to realize it’s actually people’s lives that are stacked up on the side of the road. So we’ve had to build ourselves up to be resilient as Christians, as volunteers, as people serving, because we need to understand these people are still going through it,” Gragg said.

The Serve Center continues to operate through Christmas and into the New Year as volunteers continue to come in through organizations like Kingdom Overflow Ministries and others. Throughout it all, Gragg said he has been proud to see the local church step up and respond to those in need.

“It’s been a joy to see the volunteers step up,” Gragg said. “We’ve been blessed with some amazing people at The Rock, and they’ve stepped up in massive ways. We’ve seen a wide range of volunteers from teenagers and kids all the way up to people that are in their 70s and maybe even 80s coming in and serving.”

To support the Serve Center, follow the Rock Boone Serve Center on social media or visit therockboone. church.

Photos courtesy of The Rock Boone Jonathan Arnette (center) services relief workers at the Serve Center.

Photos courtesy of The Rock Boone

Volunteers from the Ankeny Fire Department in Iowa, who were staying at The Rock Serve Center, went out to clear debris and work on repairs to a home.

Photos courtesy of The Rock Boone Recovery efforts through The Rock Church began by serving meals to Samaritan’s Purse volunteers.

Pictured from the left are Casey Gragg and Katie Arnette.

Photos courtesy of The Rock Boone Mike Bozeman (center) receives donations at the Serve Center.

Photos courtesy of The Rock Boone Volunteers have dinner at the Serve Center after a long day’s work.

Mountain Strong. High Country Proud.

to the High Country communityfor your selfless workand volunteer efforts since Hurricane Helene hit our area.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Richard Woods

By Francisco Hernandez

The night before the storm, Richard Woods and his wife, Regina, went to Three Top Road. It had been raining heavily, and they wanted to check the condition near where Richard’s mother and sister live.

At first, they thought it would be okay. Water from the creek was rising, but it wasn’t too concerning. Like most, the Woods weren’t expecting the significant flooding and damaging winds that came the next day.

They lost power and could not contact anyone. When they tried to go to Three Top, they were met with more than two feet of water rushing across the road. They had to go back home, but even there, they watched the nearby creek rise, morph into a river and take with it whatever was in its path: propane tanks, oil barrels, farm equipment, and more.

“You could literally watch the water slowly coming through the grass,” Richard recounted. “It was rising so fast that you could see it creeping up, rising four plus feet in 45 minutes or less. I’d never seen anything like it.”

There was a moment of fear that their loved ones who lived near Three Top Road had been washed away. At this point, the Woods had not heard from Richard’s mother or sister or their daughters, who live in the Clifton area about four miles away. When they attempted to make the trek to Clifton, downed trees and power lines made them turn around.

When the waters receded, Richard sprung into action determined to find a way to check up on their family. After hitching a few car rides

and trudging through mud and broken trees and power poles, Richard finally did make contact with his daughters and eventually his mother and sister over at Three Top.

For a moment, Richard could breathe, knowing that the people he cared about were safe, but soon after, he began helping those around him.

Richard is an electrician by trade, having spent 30 years working in the profession and owning Woods Electric Service.

“We had no phone, but people were flagging me down if I drove up the road,” Richard said. “So, we just started working.”

For 27 days straight, Richard and his small team worked tirelessly, installing and repairing generators for more than 25 homes and assisting in restoring the Riverview Community Center, which had been flooded. They worked 14-hour days, tackling as much as they could as fast as they could.

“The biggest challenge we had was keeping the materials to do the jobs and do them safely,” Richard said.

He said that needed materials would slowly trickle in. What they could get their hands on barely satisfied what was needed for the day. Even when the materials were ordered online in bulk, days would pass between receiving them. But, despite these setbacks, Richard and his crew were determined to help regardless, working sometimes late into the night to get a job done.

“I just couldn’t go home and lay down to go to sleep knowing that there was an elderly person or someone on oxygen that had to get through another night without

because I wanted to go home,” he said.

Although they were able to get some materials and needed items donated, the Woods ended up having to buy a lot of what was used in the beginning. The Woods estimate that $35,000 was spent out of pocket in the first three weeks, depleting their savings. This ensured their employees were paid and the materials needed were readily available. Yet, it didn’t shake their commitment to support the community.

When donations started coming in regularly, Richard and his team housed them at Richard’s shop. Richard said he advised all the local electricians he knew that if they were working on hooking up generators for people in the community, they would be welcomed to the materials.

“So, I had other electricians coming to the shop and using out the donated materials while we were working too,” he said.

As the community’s needs shifted, Richard began sending unused materials to other locations that needed them. They were able to send two truckloads of material, including generators, wires, and plugs, to Asheville after Richard contacted a friend who lives there.

Richard and his team now focus on rewiring flood-damaged homes as the community rebuilds and recovers. Even though the pace has slowed and they are no longer working 14-hour days, they still take the occasional emergency call.

“We’d do it all over again,” Richard reflected. “We couldn’t leave people, especially the elderly and those with medical needs, without power.”

Photo submitted

Richard Woods and his crew cutting downed trees as they work to connect people’s generators.

Photo submitted Richard Woods (left) and Colby Lewis (right) assembling one of the generators to install for a homeowner.

High Country Hurricane Heroes: Mark and Amy Baldwin

By Nathan Ham

Mark Baldwin and his wife Amy first found their way to the West Jefferson Fire Department not long after the skies began to clear from Hurricane Helene’s devastating punch to Ashe County. They wanted to see what they could do to help.

“We were fortunate not to be hit very hard, but when we realized how bad it was, we felt like we should probably try to go help out any way that we can,” Mark said.

While things were under control in West Jefferson, firefighters there told Mark and Amy that the Warrensville community could really use some help.

“In Warrensville, we just unloaded people’s cars. We were there on day one when there were basically no supplies. There were a few cases of water and a few boxes of diapers. As the days went on, we continued to go out there and help. We unpacked people’s cars, took in donations, just did whatever they needed us to do,” Mark said.

As more roads began to clear, Mark and Amy made their way to Creston to deliver hot food to people without electricity or no way to get

in and out of their homes.

“I had a big four-wheeldrive truck. I figured we might as well utilize this; if I can get to a place that maybe somebody else can’t get to, then let’s go,” he said. “As you headed up past the dam, you would see the road start to deteriorate every day. There were people going across it, so I just thought, as long as it’s there, I’m going to give it a go.”

Mark is the owner of Renegade Graphics in Jefferson and has been pleased with the “sense of community” that he has watched grow around different parts of Ashe County.

“Being a member of the community involves helping out in the community. I think as time goes on, that

is something that we are losing. People don’t want to be as helpful as people used to be and I think it is important to remain helpful. As our community was in need, we all felt a call to pick up the phone, answer the bell, and go out and help,” Mark said.

Mark has been busy with his dayto-day job but hopes to get back to volunteering soon.

“There is still a lot of recovery that needs to be done. There was a need; I was an able-bodied individual and didn’t mind getting my hands dirty,” he said.

Seeing both the good side and the bad side of a disaster like this has pulled on the heart strings of everybody in the High Country. For Mark and Amy, that has been no different. “It was heartbreaking to see

people sifting through their stuff, all they had left, and then you see people from all walks of life coming together to help out. In those moments when we needed it the most, people pulled together. To see people that were total strangers, people with second homes here that did not live here, they were bringing truckloads of supplies. When we needed it, people came together. I just wish it would be a little more permanent,” Mark said.

Mark hopes that as the recovery continues, the next step will be to provide some form of permanent housing for people in Ashe County. Several families lost their entire homes, and for many that did not, their property is so damaged that it is unlivable.

“I understand that they’re doing a lot to get people into campers, but in my mind that is not long-term. We need to find a way to get some reliable but cheap tiny house communities or something to get these people a sense of home, to give them something more permanent that they can be proud of and call home,” Mark said.

Mark and Amy Baldwin

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jordan Forsythe

By Francisco Hernandez

Since the hurricane, Jordan Forsythe has operated “The Love Shack” in Creston, a makeshift community supply hub that grew to meet the needs of the area’s community.

Before “The Love Shack” came to fruition, a friend of Forsythe reached out to her after remnants of Hurricane Helene hit Ashe County.

“She called me and said, ‘If you can get someone to meet me near 77 and 421, I’ll leave my generator and my Starlink for you, and then you can use that to try to, you know, get online and try to help people,” Forsythe said.

Forsythe isn’t new to helping people. She is a partner at Cauley Forsythe Immigration and an immigration attorney with over 10 years of experience. Forsythe has helped individuals, families, and businesses navigate the complexities of immigration law.

Supplied with a toy hauler, a Starlink transmitter, and 500 gallons of gas, Forsythe set off to see how she could help. She said that after speaking with the pastor of Warrensville Baptist Church, they were able to locate a spot near Big Laurel Church in Creston. Forsythe said she spoke to Rev. Darrell Graybeal

who helped her get set up.

“Between the mountains and the stations, firemen were having trouble, you know, connecting,” Forsythe said. “So the thought was it would be a place for first responders and police and then also family members,” she said.

What began as an in-between for emergency services, quickly grew into an operation that has served hundreds of people. “The Love Shack” became a centralized location for those in need as supplies came from all over.

One example is the supplies that came from Buck Creek Township Fire Department in Indiana. According to the fire department’s Facebook page, Creston was able to receive a full semi-load of hay, a trailer filled with human essentials, six pallets of dog food, and more through the generosity of more than 30 organizations and groups.

Forsythe said that the area the camper occupied and the fellowship hall at Big Laurel Church had been emptied several dozen times.

She explained that “The Love Shack” has had hundreds of volunteers to help distribute supplies. Some came from as far away as Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Utah, and many other

states. Some volunteers came to assist Forsythe in the days after the storm when they heard about the set-up and didn’t leave until late October.

Recognizing the community’s changing needs, “The Love Shack” has transitioned from triage and meeting emergent needs to rebuilding and cleaning efforts Supplies can still be found in Creston at the Riverview Community Center.

The Love Shack is now Rebuild Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit connecting resources to those in need and coordinating reconstruction after Hurricane Helene.

“She’s just been a blessing. I don’t know any other way to put it,” John Gee said. Gee is a resident of Creston and has been volunteering when he could.

Gee said that Forsythe has been instrumental in getting people who could help clear trees, rebuild fences, and even rebuild roads to the right locations.

“She’s just been wonderful. And she’s here every day, and you can count on her; it’s just like clockwork,” Gee said. For more information, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=61566790397451.

Photo submitted

“The Love Shack” was located on the corner of Roaring Fork Road and Big Laurel Road, with Jordan Forsythe heading operations.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Todd RiverGirl

By Luke Barber

Like many businesses in the area, RiverGirl Fishing Co. has dealt with Hurricane Helene’s impacts on its operations as the popular fishing, boating, and biking destination works to recover from the storm.

Despite these challenges, RiverGirl became a central hub for community restoration efforts in the small, unincorporated town of Todd. RiverGirl co-owner Renata Dos Santos and her team at the outpost have led the charge by organizing hundreds of volunteers in the community of less than 3,000.

Like many in the area, Santos said clean-up efforts began in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Santos and co-owner Kelly McCoy began picking up litter and debris upon seeing for the first time the storm’s destruction of the business.

“When we pulled in, we saw that the warehouse had been demolished, and everything we had stored in there. It was the safest place, or so we thought. But the whole creek in the back had

literally become a river,” Santos said. “Kelly was actually in the back in one of the boats kayaking down what should have been the parking lot to help retrieve stuff and bring it back up. So we just took it section by section to try and help clean up the stuff because some of our equipment’s probably all the way to Virginia by now.”

The now-demolished warehouse was home to the business’s kayaks, inner tubes, mountain bikes, and appliances such as generators, air compressors, and other equipment. She called the situation “insane” as paddles and other equipment were discovered in a tree 20 feet in the air.

“We were all pretty much in shock, and there was an overwhelming amount of things in front of you. So you just start with what’s directly from you,” Santos said. The clean-up effort then grew to encompass the community’s local churches and fire departments as volunteers began to show up in increasing numbers over a three-week period to clear roadways, cut fall-

en trees, repair homes, and supply generators, propane tanks, food, water, and other supplies to those in the community most affected.

“That first week, everybody was still in shock. The second week it started to dawn on everybody as to just the volume of what is in front of them, and again, divine intervention. We’ve had the right people at the right time to address these needs,” Santos said, Santos recalled multiple instances of good samaritan’s stepping in to help in the recovery efforts, often coming through at the last minute or when least expected.

“We’ve always been stewards of this river. This fuels not just our business but many lives here in the community, so it just makes sense to make sure she stays clean and healthy,” co-owner Renata Dos Santos said.

Santos said one man is coming in from Illinois with a crew to help rebuild a building, while another group, Charlie Mike, made up of retired special forces veterans, also assisted with the clean-up efforts. Others,

such as arborists, landscapers, and construction crews, have also pitched in to help the community recover.

speaks to a group of volunteers at the beginning of a recovery work day.

After three weeks of intense effort, Santos said that they have enough resources to point people to as long-term efforts continue.

“The thing that’s hit me has been the emotional side of it. The folks that come together — that overwhelming show of love and support and compassion for each other. I’ve experienced something like that once in my life, but not to this extent, and it’s very humbling,” Santos said.

Renata Dos Santos being interviewed by the Watauga Democrat. Appalachian State University’s Beth Davison, who helps organize the annual Boone Docs Film Festival, is working on a documentary focused on community clean-up efforts.

More recently, RiverGirl has shifted efforts toward recovering and working to reopen their business for the 2025 season.

“The thing about disaster is it brings us all together,” McCoy said. “Todd is strong and Todd is resilient. We still have love.”

To learn more about RiverGirl Fishing Co and to contribute to restoration efforts, visit rivergirlfishing.com or visit http:// eepurl.com/i4bkUk.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Ham p ton Oberle

By Moss Brennan

When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, Hampton Oberle knew he had to help those in need. So he packed up and headed south.

Once Oberle, who took his first steps and got married in Blowing Rock, got to the area and started looking for places to volunteer.

“I wanted it to be local. I wanted it to be for the mountain people,” Oberle said in a post on the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

On day one, he showed up at Speckled Trout and spent the day driving around Newland with his

new friend Eli — who had driven up from Gastonia after helping out family in Lake Lure — trying to find drop points.

“Although we had a 40year age difference, I really enjoyed hanging out with him,” Oberle said.

They dropped off supplies at two volunteer fire departments in need. Over the next 10 days, he spent time volunteering at First Baptist and the American Legion.

“I was amazed by the number of supplies coming in,” Oberle said. “It was a busy time unloading, sorting, arranging, and reloading.”

While volunteering, he

got to meet the people who are Blowing Rock’s “backbone.”

“Some were retirees, some were merchants, some were town officials, and some were people donating their time,” Oberle said. “Everyone supported each other. While tiring, it was probably one of the most gratifying efforts I have been involved with. We knew we had a mission that would make a difference. It had to.”

While at the American Legion, he met a woman from Avery County who said, “Thank you.”

“I asked her if she was okay, whether she needed any supplies, and if the

situation in Avery was improving,” Oberle said. “She said they were because of the efforts from the people of Blowing Rock.”

While Oberle and his wife do not live in Blowing Rock, they visit as often as possible year round. His parents lived there full-time and were involved in many local organizations.

“I am very proud of Blowing Rock. I think each person has their own reason for living here. For me, it’s always been the people of western NC,” Oberle said. “My Mom always told me you had to earn the trust of the mountain people. I hope I have earned that trust.”

Photo submitted Hampton Oberle helping organize donations.

Photo courtesy Beth Davison

Photo courtesy Beth Davison Hundreds of volunteers have participated in recovery efforts in Todd.

Photo courtesy Beth Davison RiverGirl Kelly McCoy coordinates with volunteers during a clean-up at Green Valley Park.

Photo courtesy Beth Davison Renata Dos Santos

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jesse Po p e

By Derek Halsey

When the raindrops began to fall on Wednesday night, Sept. 25, the first storm was beginning to saturate the ground in these 300-million-year-old hills. Hurricane Helene, the second and much bigger storm, had yet to reach Florida soil at that point, yet this initial low-pressure rainstorm up ahead was laying the groundwork for the disaster that was to come. With the weather system flowing from south to north, this two-storm monster was ready to take on the Appalachian Mountains — 500 miles from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline of West Florida.

Jesse Pope, President and Executive Director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation points out that local police, firefighters, and EMTs were rescuing long before Storm Helene hit the High Country two days later.

Pope grew up in nearby Mouth of Wilson, Va., and attended LeesMcRae College in Banner Elk. He found a home with the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, first as a naturalist, a backcountry ranger, and an animal keeper at the facility’s zoo. Eventually, he worked his way up to the Executive Director position while raising a family in Newland.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Pope was heavily involved in the storm relief effort that ensued, “I did some missionary work back in the day, and I have done quite a bit of relief work as well,” Pope said. “I was down in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and worked two different two-week shifts there. We also did some Hurricane Matthew relief work in 2016. I also have a First Responder background and a wilderness medicine background as well. So, I always feel like I have skills that are beneficial to relief situations like we are experiencing now, plus I just don’t mind working, in general. After disasters like this happen, a lot of the hard work happens in the first week, the second week, and three weeks and more after the event because that is when everybody else leaves, and that is truly when the work is needed.” Pope and his team began working with the Avery County YMCA, the Feeding Avery Families organization,

the local police, firefighters and EMTs, and eventually, folks from neighboring counties and all around the country.

Pope knew the community was about to endure a deadly, devastating storm for the ages.

Pope’s eyes were opened while looking out of the windows on the second story of his home. One of his three kids was uneasy with the ferocity of the storm when it hit full force, so Pope went upstairs to reassure and calm nerves. Instead, he, too, started freaking out about what was happening in front of them.

Grandfather Mountain Park has a weather station on top of it, and according to Pope, the previous twoday rainfall measurement record was 12.3 inches of water falling during a 48-hour period. This time around, more than 20 inches of rain was measured, and the initial focus at the Grandfather Mountain facility was to begin making sure the animals in the zoo were safe and the pavement was still roadworthy. As all of that was playing out, the winds of Hurricane Helene finally made their way up from the Florida coast, hammering the High Country on Friday morning.

“My son was in his room, and he gets a little bit anxious about big storms, as we all do, and he said, ‘Yeah Dad, I’m good,’ and then we started to look out of his window,” Pope said. “I have a bunch of big oaks surrounding my house, which was built in 1968, and one of the big oak branches had broken and was swinging back and forth in the wind over my driveway. I told my son, ‘I kind of wish the wind would just blow that one down because it is so high, I can’t reach it, and it’s going to hit our car underneath.’ No more than a few seconds after I said that, we watched that whole oak tree fall down. … ‘Dad, did you see that?’ Seconds later, another big oak tree falls onto the top of the first tree, and then a third tree fell on top of the other two. And, during that same main-line gust, the wind shear blew another tree down that smashed into my neighbor’s house. All four big trees fell within 30 seconds of each other, and we watched all of it happen right in front of us.”

The high winds were adding to the flood damage. Initially, high waters

were destroying houses, businesses, and roads, but suddenly, trees of all sizes were doing more damage. By the time the storm passed through on Friday afternoon, Sept. 27, the destruction kept grinding. Soon, phone service and power were out, and the roads were blocked in every direction.

That’s when Pope became an important cog in the relief efforts, partly because he explored and found a spot on the back side of Grandfather Mountain where he could get a phone signal. At times, it was only enough of a signal to get a text or a Facebook post or two out, and that unexpected hotspot proved to be crucial.

“Saturday, there was little to no communication, so by Sunday, that is when we really realized that there was a ton of people in the shelters and that the shelters needed supplies, food, water and tarps. So we immediately put out a call for help to friends, family and the donors of Grandfather Mountain through social media,” Pope said. “Right away, people began to bring in supplies, and that is when we realized that the Starlink satellite connections were a great tool and resource when you have no cell towers working.

“By Monday morning, we had loads of supplies coming into Avery County from literally all over. I have a friend in Florida named Mark Coffman, for instance, who is a regular at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games every July, and I told him, ‘Look if you can find any Starlink systems at Home Depot or anywhere else, buy as many as you can while you travel up here.’ I was thinking he would find about two or three of them on his way from Florida to North Carolina, but he crisscrossed from store to store as he drove up, and he showed up with seven. I talked to Mark on Sunday about 4 p.m. and he showed up the next morning with supplies, and he is still here working with us. In fact, one day, Mark and us, along with the Teen Valley Ranch youth camp, we served 1,000 meals at the Spear Country Store.”

Folks on the local level organized a plan as well.

“The partnerships began to blossom,” Pope said. “We work a lot with the Williams YMCA of Avery

County on a regular basis, so Trey Oakley and I, Trey is the CEO of the Williams YMCA, we drove around and went to the hospital to talk to the leadership there. We checked in with Sally Loftus of Feeding Avery Families, we checked in with the local school system, and we went to Incident Command and met with the command leaders who were running the Emergency Response. Another food bank organization that we worked with during this event was called A Simple Gesture out of Greensboro, N.C. When I made the call out to them that we were in trouble and we needed help, they responded instantly. And, we also wonderfully partnered with Wine To Water organization in Boone as well and with everyone working together, good things began to happen.”

As the need to feed people grew in the High Country, Pope and his team realized that it would take a couple of days to get the Grandfather Mountain Park restaurant up and running, and that is when a worldwide relief organization stepped in to bridge the gap.

“The World Central Kitchen organization was set up and mobilized in Boone, doing their amazing work, but we couldn’t get to Boone at that time,” Pope said. “So, the main World Central Kitchen set up in Asheville flew in 300 prepared meals and landed with them here at Grandfather Mountain for two days in a row, and we distributed them to rescue workers across the county. Then, on the third day, we finally got our food service hub up and operational.”

An idea was hatched to bring along ice cream, a treat that might lift the spirits of those in need.

“We took eight tubs of ice cream to the Spear Country Store and used coolers and ice to get it there,” Pope said. “One of the people who was cooking on the grill for others down there had been doing it for hours, and everyone kept asking him: ‘Hey, do you want something to eat? You need to eat.’ But, he’d say, ‘No, I don’t want to take food from other people. I’m good.’ When the ice cream showed up, however, he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take a little ice cream.’”

Not long afterward, a family walked

Photo by Derek Halsey Supplies came in from all over the country. The generosity of other Americans has played a part in the recovery.

ServingFamilyS ty le For65Year s

We at Dan’l Boone Inn feel blessed to be part of awonderfuland giving communit y. We want to thank the numerousvolunteers and communit y membersthatgavethe ir time and resourcestohelpour town recover from Helene.Wealso want to acknowledgeour many employees whohelped to serve over 3,000 meals to membersofthe communit y.

December 6thofthisyearmarkedour 65 th anniversary of serviceasa restaurant.Thank youtoall of our loyalcustomersover the years. We look forwardtomanymoreyears of serving you.

Jesse Pope

up to the store from a long way off, as folks could see them by the side of the road in the distance. It was a young family with five kids in tow, hoping for a good meal.

“The second-oldest daughter was shellshocked,” Pope said. “I’ve never been through a war, but that is the only thing I could imagine when I saw her. That little girl looked so sad and so confused and so scared, stunned at what had just happened to them, and I think she was just old enough to know that this situation was bad, yet not old enough to understand that everything will be OK again someday. There were some police officers there from Concord, N.C., who were volunteering

to help, and one of the officers was talking to her family and to her, trying to cheer them up.

“The officer then picked her up and put her into his UTV side-by-side and he is trying to show her all of the bells and whistles and flashing lights of his police vehicle, yet it is all lost on her. She was just sitting there with little to no expression. Then, one of my team members notices her and decides to scoop some ice cream for her and bring it over. As soon as the ice cream was handed to her, her reaction was like, ‘Ice cream!’ She immediately came alive. All of a sudden, she was a little kid again. For a few minutes, she was happy, and something good was happening in the world around her as she sat there with her bowl of ice cream.”

To find updates on this crisis and to find ways to help, visit grandfather. com/helene-updates/.

local police, firefighters, and EMTs were doing rescues long before Storm

hit the High Country two days later.

Art of Living Center responding to lasting effects of the storm

By Luke Barber

Most of the time, the Art of Living Center is a picturesque mountain wellness destination offering peaceful, meditative practices to visitors from across the country and the world.

But in the days and weeks following Hurricane Helene, the center’s location in Boone, which is consistently ranked as one of the top wellness destinations in the country, sprang into action as AOLC staff served hot meals, donated supplies and offered their showers, facilities and temporary housing to the community.

“On the day Hurricane Helene hit, we were already serving around 150 guests on-site,” Venkat Srinivasa, who is the director of the AOLC in Boone, said. “So it was right in the middle of a retreat. We lost power, but our staff was amazing. They plowed through it. They served meals in the darkness, and there was no power. They kept everything going, and we safely got our guests off the mountain.”

Immediately after guests were safely on their way to their homes, Srinivasa said the center and its staff started to assess and respond to the damage in the surrounding communities. Staff began to work at distribution sites, such as Watauga High School and Wine to Water, where they donated supplies and volunteered. They also served hot meals to first responders and those

working and staying at the Hospitality House, the Hunger and Health Coalition and the Community Care Center.

All in all, Srinivasa said they served approximately 3,000 meals during that time up until November, and around 100 volunteers spent 5,000 hours serving on the ground at various volunteer sites.

The center also donated around 600 blankets through the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.

While the center is now back to functioning as it was before the storm, AOLC leadership says this does not mean their recovery efforts are finished — far from it. Patti Montella, a senior international faculty member with the AOLC, said the center is also catering to the mental health needs of those who were affected.

“We knew once the supplies need was met, and the chainsaws showed up, and we got temporary housing for people, that it would just be a matter of time before the mental health issues would show up from the shock, from the loss, from the heavy levels of grief and confusion that everybody went through,” Montella said.

As part of its regular operations, the AOLC provides breathwork and meditation workshops that Montella says are evidence-based practices that have been proven to help those suffering from the symptoms of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She said these techniques can be especially beneficial to first responders who may be

having trouble getting out of fight-or-flight mode.

“Every single mental and emotional challenge people were going through and are going through now, our evidence-based techniques address many of them, if not all of them,” Montella said.

“I’ve worked Hurricane Katrina and many other traumatic events from school shootings to the floods in New Orleans. What we saw is that once the supply and housing is taken care of, these other things aren’t usually addressed, and that’s where we come in.”

Throughout the past couple of months, the AOLC has been offering trauma relief and resiliency sessions at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock, local libraries and other locations.

Now, they will offer these sessions for free during the months of January, February, and March for all High Country residents at the center located at 639 Whispering Hills Rd. The sessions will be offered twice a month on the second and fourth weekends of every month.

“They’ll learn our breathing techniques that we’re known for around the world that have all the science behind the not only physical benefits but the emotional and the mental benefits of breathing out the stress and breathing in the joy and the happiness again,” Montella said.

For more information or to book an upcoming resiliency session, call 800-392-6870 or email aolrc.org/locals.

Photo by Derek Halsey Jesse Pope, President and Executive Director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, points out that

Helene

Photo submitted Art of Living volunteers take a break to meditate.

Photo submitted Art of Living Center leadership pose for a photo outside of the facility.

Photo submitted Art of Living Center volunteers work at Wine to Water.

Se cond Har vest Food Bank of Nor thwest

Nor th Car olina pr oudlys er ving your communit yinpar tnership with:

•Ashe OutreachMinis tr ies

•Ashe Food Pantr y

•Jeffer son United Methodis tChurch

•War rensville Ba ptis tChurch

•Ashe ReallyCares

•Ashe Har vest Minis tr ies

•Blowing RockCares Food Pantr y

•Cas ting Bread Food Mar ket

•GreenwayBaptis tChurch

•Hospitality House

•The Hunger &HealthCoalition

•Our sis ter FeedingAmer ica food bank, MANNA FOODBANK

"RealStories. RealImpact."

Discoverhow neighbor s, volunteer s, and par tner sare coming together to buildfoodsecure communities .S canthe QR code or visitS econdHar vestNWNC.org.

The Power of Community in the Wake of Hurricane Helene

By Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s devastation, a powerful story of resilience and unity unfolded across the mountain communities of North Carolina. Families, local farmers, first responders, businesses, and volunteers came together, standing strong in the face of adversity. Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC was there, alongside its network of food assistance partners and neighboring food bank – MANNA FoodBank – to ensure immediate relief and ongoing support for those hit hardest by the storm.

For decades, Second Harvest has been a steady presence in these communities, and as Helene wreaked havoc—damaging homes, flooding farms, and shuttering grocery stores—their response was swift and purposeful. Just months into its response efforts, Second Harvest has delivered over 100,000 ready-to-eat meals, distributed more than 81,000 pounds of fresh food, and provided critical supplies to help families weather the crisis. Through partnerships with local agencies, they continue to serve impacted residents of Ashe and Watauga counties, as well as Avery County, where they are

assisting food programs traditionally served by sister food bank MANNA FoodBank. But the work has not stopped there. Recognizing the unique challenges facing the region, Second Harvest is stepping up with a nearly $40k investment for recovery at Springhouse Farm in Watauga County and is purchasing thousands of pounds of produce from local farms to support struggling agricultural operations and ensure nutritious food continues to reach families. They secured essential equipment—like freezers, refrigerators, and shelving—to help food pantries and soup kitchens rebuild and expand their services. They even supplied tools such as chainsaws and woodchippers, helping neighbors clear roads, restore normalcy, and prepare for the long winter ahead.

it’s connection, it’s dignity,” shared Eric Aft, Chief Executive Officer at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC.

“We were here before the storm, we’re here now, and we will be here in the weeks, months, and years ahead—working hand-in-hand with our partners to strengthen these communities for the long term.”

Second Harvest’s mission extends far beyond disaster relief. It’s a commitment to building food-secure communities, addressing immediate needs while fostering opportunities for families to thrive. Their ongoing work—like farm partnerships, nutrition programs, and workforce development initiatives—demonstrates that while storms may pass, the power of a united community endures.

“At Second Harvest, we see food as more than sustenance. It’s hope,

For more information, visit SecondHarvestNWNC.org to read stories of hope, resilience, and community building.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Baptists On Mission

By Moss Brennan

When power was out, homes destroyed and disaster everywhere, Baptists on Mission deployed to help those in need — be it helping them with their home or feeding them a hot meal.

Baptists on Mission exist to glorify God by involving churches and Christians in meeting human needs in Jesus’ name.

The goal of the NC Disaster Response Ministry is to provide ways for Christians to minister to people who are hurting due to disasters. According to the organization, they seek to provide organization, equipment, and strategy to help affected individuals/ families rebuild their lives. They respond through administration, assessment, chaplaincy, communications, childcare, search and rescue, medical reserve corps, laundry, logistics, mass feeding, and recovery (debris removal).

In the High Country, community members became familiar with the large tents as volunteers with the organization set up mass feeding sites at various locations, including

First Baptist Church of Boone and Perkinsville Church.

Volunteers set up large feeding and recovery (mud out, tear out, chainsaw, etc.) operations in 14 locations in Western North Carolina. Volunteers helped feed those in need, provided shower and laundry services, chain saw teams, tarped roofs, mudded and tore out homes, and more.

More than 13,000 volunteers worked with Baptists on Mission and completed 5,121 jobs. In addition to their work in the community to help recover, they prepared more than 5,000 meals. As Baptists on Mission stated, “These aren’t just numbers; they represent stories of lives changed.”

Baptists on Mission also work to get families back in their homes as quickly as possible through its Essential Rapid Repairs program, which provides insulation, flooring, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, a functional kitchen and bathroom.

More information can be found at baptistsonmission. org/.

Photo submitted Second Harvest Food Bank working side by side with Manna Food Bank, which serves Avery County.

Photo submitted

Young volunteers who aided in the assembly of Shelf Stable Emergency Food Boxes going into impacted areas.

Photo courtesy Baptists on Mission Baptists On Mission volunteers work at the First Baptist Church of Boone to feed those in need.

Photo courtesy Baptists on Mission Baptists On Mission set up a kitchen at First Baptist Church of Boone to serve free hot meals.

Photo courtesy Baptists on Mission Baptists On Mission didn’t just feed those in need, they also helped repair houses and clean up debris.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Haylee Greene

By Zach Colburn

With the events of Hurricane Helene, Haylee Greene, owner of Ridgeline Cookie, baked thousands of cookies to support recovery efforts, but then started “Joy Baskets” three weeks later for the children within the area that needed supplies and a “pick me up.”

Before the Joy Baskets took off, Greene helped assemble small, bagged lunches for the first few weeks and distributed them to work crews.

Along with a few friends, it grew to making and delivering several hundred simple bagged lunches to linemen, cleanup crews, and road workers. She organized Monday through Friday for several weeks until she saw that the need was dwindling due to so many amazing restaurants, organizations, and food trucks starting to help.

However, a friend of Greene’s and a fellow business owner posted something that gave her an idea.

“A friend of mine (Marie Russo, owner of Bocca Bistro) made a post asking for help with laundry for a family who lost everything. When I was speaking with Marie about the family that needed help with laundry, she told me about their home

being taken by a land slide,” said Greene.

“She also told me about the girls who had lost everything. I was sitting with my teenage daughter, and I immediately told her, ‘We need to do something to cheer those girls up.’

“We went right then and shopped for each girl; Marie had told us their ages; we bought two huge clothes hampers and filled them each with all things we thought would bring them joy… fluffy blankets, crafts, nail polish, toys, games, my daughter knitted them stuffed animals, and a gift card to shop for clothes,” added Greene. “After delivering these baskets, my daughter and I agreed this was going to be our new way of helping. We wanted to bring every child some joy who lost everything that we possibly could. We poured ourselves into this new mission for

weeks — we never expected that the need to be as huge as it was.”

Shopping for each child was based on their age, gender, and interests. Thanks to donations sent to Greene from all over, the baskets contained between $100 and $150 worth of personalized joy. Greene was able to give them to 33 kids in four counties. They delivered to every child who was referred to them. Greene knew that they wanted to keep helping all the people they met along the way, but they also realized that they were approaching the beginning of December, which is Ridgeline Cookie’s busiest month.

After being out of work for many weeks, she knew they needed to get back to business, but she wanted to continue to help.

That’s when Auction Wednes-

days (which can be found on the Ridgeline Cookie company’s Facebook page) was born. They’ve been able to give three $500 gift cards to those in need to spend as they please, and Greene stated, “It’s truly amazing to see how giving our community is.”

“Once you’ve seen firsthand how much help is needed, it’s so hard to stop helping, so I thought doing auctions would allow me to be able to spend my days working but also continue to help families, couples, or individuals that really need help,” said Greene. “So many people that we’ve met still haven’t received financial help for damages. Many of the people we’ve met talked about needing help with purchasing building supplies or other things you can’t regularly find at donation centers.”

In addition to Auction Wednesdays, Greene has been offering a “cookies for a cause campaign” — do-it-yourself cookie kits — that she states have been Ridgeline’s biggest selling item during the holidays.

For more information about Ridgeline, visit www.facebook.com/ ridgelinecookieco.

Photo submitted Pictured here with her two children, Haylee Greene delivers a batch of Joy Baskets to Blue Ridge Elementary School in Ashe County.

• Dinner nightly fro 5pm

• Restaurant of the ear

• Best estaurant Ser vice of the ear

• Fine Dining Restaurant of the ear

• Steakhouse of the ear

• Seafood of the ear

• Burger of the ear

• Salad Bar of the ear

• Private room available

• ver y County Cha ber Business of the ear

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High Country Hurricane Hero: Samaritan’s Purse

By Luke Barber

The Rev. Billy Graham maintained a deep belief and interest in angels throughout his lifetime. In the case of Samaritan’s Purse, the angels who have come to support those most impacted by Hurricane Helene arrived in Black Hawk helicopters, Chinooks, and other aircraft.

According to Samaritan’s Purse, the operation was the largest civilian airlift operation in U.S. history.

Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief specialists arrived in the hard hit areas immediately after the storm and have helped ever since.

Samaritan’s Purse has responded to Hurricane Helene in force in Western North Carolina. Every day, teams of volunteers have worked to serve families in need by mudding out flooded homes, clearing debris, removing downed trees, and reminding them that they are not alone. In western North Carolina, the Christian relief organization also supported local healthcare systems by deploying emergency field hospital units with triage support, oxygen, and medicine as well as setting up three water filtration units in areas where the water pipeline network was destroyed. Samaritan’s Purse also coordinated the largest civilian airlift operation in U.S. history with more than 350 airlifts delivering critical supplies to remote communities across 17 counties in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Through Samaritan’s Purse coordination, over 350 helicopter and fixed-wing missions to deliver emergency relief supplies to some of the most isolated and hard-hit areas in 17 counties, including 15 in North

Carolina and two in Tennessee, were delivered.

The effort delivered more than 1,800 generators, 1,700 heaters, 24,000 bags of food, 11,500 blankets, 15,000 solar lights, 60,000 gallons of water, 20,000 to 30,000 gallons of fuel, 15,000 solar lights and 100 Starlink terminals.

“All of this has come out of the Boone Airport, which is a 1000foot airstrip that’s 40 feet wide and has been the epicenter of this massive airlift,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham.

As part of the effort, SP has also received support from state and local governments and those who have been loaning their own private helicopters, such as racing team owners Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick.

Graham said they even had a retired four-star military general who flew from Washington to lend his resources and expertise.

“What we do is out of the hangar here at the Boone Airport, a helicopter comes in, and we give them a flight. We load the helicopter. We give them fuel, and they take off. Once they come back, we do it again. We give them another assignment, another place to go and load them up with fuel, load them up with cargo and they take off. It’s just been an incredible operation,” Graham said.

While much relief has come to the area via the skies, SP has completed substantial work through its boots on the ground. More than 16,000 volunteers nationwide have aided the organization by completing 6,170 work orders that have helped more than 1,100 homeowners.

“One thing that impressed me about this is it’s neighbor helping neighbor,” Graham said.

“This has been (aircraft) privately funded and managed by Samaritan’s Purse, and it’s been the 82nd Airborne, it’s been the North Carolina Air National Guard, business helicopters, and just a lot of people that made it happen.”

The organization is also fulfilling the spiritual mission of its namesake by not only responding to the material loss that many in the region face but by also addressing some of the deeper struggles and questions that people are dealing with as they face the long road of disaster recovery.

In addition to air missions, SP has also deployed Disaster Relief Units — tractor-trailers stocked with tools and equipment — to Asheville, Boone and Burnsville, North Carolina; Perry and Tampa, Florida; and Valdosta, Georgia.

“It’s incredible the damage done in these areas. If not months, it could take years for some of these areas to come back. But we’re going to just continue to help look for people that didn’t have insurance, didn’t have flood insurance, people that are going to fall through the cracks, and we’re going to do what we can to try to help them in the months and years to come,” Graham said.

Based in Boone, North Carolina, Samaritan’s Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations—especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution.

For more information, visit samaritanspurse.org.

Through Samaritan’s Purse coordination, over 350 helicopter and fixed-wing missions to deliver emergency relief supplies to some of the most isolated and hard-hit areas in 17 counties, including 15 in North Carolina and two in Tennessee, were delivered.

Photo courtesy Samaritan’s Purse Relief efforts at the Boone airport are part of the largest civilian airlift operation in U.S. history, which is being conducted and coordinated by Samaritan’s Purse.

Photo courtesy Samaritan’s Purse

Photo courtesy Samaritan’s Purse Samaritan’s Purse had support from volunteers all over as it worked to get aid to those in need.

Photo courtesy Samaritan’s Purse Crews help load a Chinook military helicopter at the Boone airport.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Rock Finley

By Francisco Hernandez

The storm that struck Ashe in late September stunned many across the county, including Rock Finley. The 43-year-old father of three lives in Jefferson with his wife. Rock works in the cafeteria of Blue Ridge Elementary and is also a bus driver for Ashe County Schools, but the day before the storm hit, he was home.

“They had told us Thursday morning that we would be off that day,” Rock said. He said that when the storm hit, he was advised that school was canceled due to high winds and flooding.

Rock said that they were unaware of how bad it really was. There was limited cell service, which meant they could not reach family members and friends right away. As cell service slowly returned and people began to venture through the county, the Finleys realized that Ashe had been hit hard.

They heard various accounts of how roads and bridges were washed away. Some told him that houses near Ashe County Middle School were just gone and that Creston and Lansing had been severely impacted.

“People started showing us how the water rose in Lansing,” Rock said. “I grew up in Lansing. I’ve seen the creek flood, but I’ve never seen it go eight feet into the buildings. It was wild.”

Without safe roads to travel on, school buses could not run, and students could not return to school. When Ashe County Schools ended up canceling classes for students the following week, he wasn’t surprised. Due to the closures, all

fall festivals that were supposed to occur never happened, and there wasn’t any word on when the festivals would take place.

The storm had taken homes and businesses across western North Carolina, but it also removed any sense of normalcy. On Sunday, Oct. 6, when Rock woke up, an idea came to mind.

“God had just laid it on my heart to throw a festival for the kids,” he said. At first, he was hesitant. He knew putting together a festival would help uplift the spirits of the children in Ashe, but he wanted “to be patient and make sure that when [he felt] like something’s from God, that it truly is from God.”

A few days later when he went to Walmart in West Jefferson, he ran into a friend of his. He explained what he felt he was called to do. Rock said that after a few minutes, his friend reassured him that he should. He ran straight home that day, believing he had received the confirmation he was needing.

After making a few calls, he was able to secure a spot with Ashe County Park. A date was selected for Oct. 19. Rock said he woke his wife up and told her of his plans. She agreed that they should do it. He then told her they only had ten days to assemble a festival.

“She didn’t kill me, so that was a plus,” Rock joked.

With only ten days to plan a festival, the Finleys went straight to work, calling people they knew. Rock said his wife spent almost every night leading up to the event answering text messages and emails of people who wanted to volunteer or provide something they

needed. As they worked to get the festival together, they named it the Ashe Strong Youth Festival.

For the festival, Finley wanted something that was akin to the carnival, like fairs and festivals he had once experienced as a kid.

When an employee from Statesville DSS, who was assisting the North Wilkesboro Speedway on another project, heard about the event through an email, they supplied the Finleys with 400 bags containing items for kids, like gloves and school supplies, when they made contact with Badges of Ashe, the local nonprofit supplied 200 bags of similar items for the event.

When Crystal Blevins heard about the event, she advised that Divine Hope Baptist Church in Jefferson would be willing to buy and grill close to 1,000 hot dogs. When Rock was unable to locate a cotton candy machine to rent, Chris Taylor

from Midway Baptist Church offered up two industrial cotton candy machines and a popcorn machine. Little by little, the festival came together.

Through friends and connections, the festival was able to include horse rides, cakewalks, bouncy houses, food, and a handful of vendors.

“I never felt like it wouldn’t happen,” he said. “I’ve learned that when God calls you to do something, and you take that step of faith, he takes over. That’s kind of what happened.”

More than 800 people attended the Ashe Strong Youth Festival, and Rock said he could see the difference it was having on the kids there.

“You could tell they missed each other, missed their friends,” he said. “We wanted the kids to get out and see each other. We did it for the kids, but I think it helped us as much as it did them.”

Photo submitted The Ashe Strong Youth Festival was held at Ashe Park as a way to help put a smile on children’s faces.

Photo submitted

Children playing in bubbles at the Ashe Strong Youth Festival.

High Country Hurricane Heroes Cliff and Gretchen Baldwin

By Peyton Ash

As Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, one couple and a rallying neighborhood had a lasting impact on the rescue teams tasked with saving those in need.

Cliff and Gretchen Baldwin spent the days after Helene catering to the National Guard and the North Carolina Swift Water Rescue Team, both of which conducted strategic rescue missions — nearly 150 total, according to Cliff — out of the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department. Cliff has a career in construction, and when the storm happened, he wanted to pick up a chainsaw and get to work, but he saw a need for cooking instead.

“It’s in her skill set to do this, not mine, but I did it out of obligation to the family,” Cliff said. “I wanted to have a chainsaw or do something

like that. It was nice to just shut up and go along and find out that there’s joy in this, too.”

The pair, along with help from local farmers and the Deep Gap Ruritan Club, helped feed upwards of 60 rescue workers a day with breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the fire department. They made sure that the breakfast was ready by 7:30 a.m. so that the Swift Water Team and the National Guard could start their days early. There was even a local chef participating in one of the meals.

“We had some other people that stepped in and helped, too,” Gretchen said. “There was a man that was a local chef that made barbecue for one of the dinners.”

Gretchen and Cliff repeated this process for the better half of two weeks. Dealing with the food was one thing; socializing was the next.

As hosts, the Baldwin family split apart to form deeper connections with the rescue teams.

“The food part was right up her alley; the ‘stranger’ part was not,” Cliff said jokingly. “The coolest part was that our daughters engaged with them too, there was a crowd that connected with one of our daughters, one crowd that connected with another daughter, a crowd that connected with me, and one that connected to (Gretchen).”

The Baldwins also brought six people to their church, Mount Vernon, where the team was honored for their hard work after Helene. After all of the meal preps, hours of commitment to rescue workers, and a “few” loads of laundry, these teams had to return home to their families. Yet the memories of what was poured into these workers will always sit with the Baldwin family.

“All of a sudden, this place explodes into a hotel of 60 people with cots everywhere,” Cliff said. “We’ll remember the military, the camo, and all of the military guys walking back and forth.”

Gretchen emphasized the importance of showing their appreciation towards these people. Cliff noted that it is important to do what is in front of you, even when it’s not your particular skill set, and that it’s okay to set that aside for the betterment of the community.

“It just seemed like something we were able to do to help. Obviously, we can’t do all the things they were doing, but we really appreciated them coming here,” Gretchen said. “Hearing their stories and just talking to them, it seemed like something we could do to give back and support them.”

High Countr yCharitableFound ation

TheHighCountr yCharitableFoundation wantstoextendaheartfelt thank youtoeveryonewho has steppeduptohelp rebuild our community.Whether youvolunteered your time, worked tirelessly on theground, or generously donated,your contributions have trulymade adifference in thelives of so many in the High Countr y. What you’ve done is nothingshort of heroic,but it ’s alsodeeply personal. Each actofkindness has helped forgeconnections that will lastalifetime.Wecherish our community andare gratefulfor ever yone whohas come together in thefaceofadversity,showing theloveand compassion that make Aver yand the surroundingareas such abeautiful placetocallhome. Thank youfor beingapartofthisjourney with us. CONTACTUSTODAY TO FINDOUT HOW YOUC AN HELP THE FOUNDATION!

Photo submitted

The Baldwins with soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard who were stationed at Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department during and after Hurricane Helene.

HURRICANE TIMELINE

SEPT. 24

SEPT. 22

A storm forms in the Western Caribbean Sea as a broad low-pressure system.

SEPT. 23

Ashe Emergency Management shares a weather briefing from the National Weather Service about rain beginning that Tuesday and continuing through the entire week, even before Hurricane Helene arrived.

SEPT. 25

The system intensified and became a hurricane. Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina ahead of Hurricane Helene as the state prepared for severe weather impacts that could threaten life and property.

SEPT. 24

The storm consolidates into a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center gives it the name “Helene.”

SEPT. 24

The first 911 call in Avery County related to the storm occurred on Wednesday night.

Avery County 911 Communications states the following: “A Flood Watch was issued today at 3:22 p.m. and ending Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. Avery County is anticipating major rainfall, high winds and possible flooding for the next several days. Now is the time to prepare! Please have extra medications, extra oxygen if you use it at home and extra food supplies. Prepare now for possible power outages. Also, remember do not drive through flooded roadways. If this weather event occurs, there is a possibility of some roads being impassable.”

SEPT. 26

SEPT. 26

Avery County made the following announcement on the evening of Sept. 26: “The State of Emergency has been REVISED to include that a CURFEW WILL BE IMPLEMENTED in Avery County! NOTE: A curfew shall be implemented during the state of emergency in Avery County between the hours of 8:00 pm and 5:00 am by the chairperson of Avery County Board of Commissioners. The adjustments have been made for the safety of all citizens after reports from the US National Weather Service advise that this is a life-threatening event with anywhere from 10-15 inches of rain to follow and wind gusts over 50mph.”

On the evening of Sept. 26, Ashe County Emergency Management declared a state of emergency for the county and the towns of West Jefferson, Jefferson and Lansing.

SEPT. 26

Watauga County declares a state of emergency at 1 p.m. with no restrictions ahead of Hurricane Helene.

SEPT. 26

Hurricane Helene moves through the Gulf of Mexico to reach a Category 4 in less than a day. This rapid intensification was in part due to very high ocean temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico that act as ‘fuel’ for hurricanes, according to NASA. Late that day, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend Region of Florida with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h).

SEPT. 25

A strong storm that blew through the area Wednesday evening brought down more than 50 trees in Blowing Rock. It was later confirmed that an EF1 tornado had touched down.

SEPT.

26

The first evacuations were made in Avery County before the storm occurred at multiple campgrounds in the evening hours of Sept. 26, including Buck Hill Campground and Mountain River Campground in the Spear and Ingalls communities.

SEPT. 27

Helene weakens as it moves inland before degenerating into a post-tropical cyclone over Western North Carolina.

SEPT.

27

Watauga County received its first 911 call related to the storm at 4:50 a.m. for a vehicle in flood waters. Crews from the Watauga County Rescue Squad and Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department rescued one person.

SEPT. 27

Blue Ridge Energy states that crews are out in “full force” as more than 11,000 people are without power combined in Watauga and Ashe County as of 7:40 a.m. New River Light and Power was also working on outages in the Boone area.

SEPT. 27

Avery Emergency Management posted an update from the National Weather Service: “As of 1:40 AM 9/27: Conditions will quickly deteriorate over the next few hours as the outer rainbands from Hurricane Helene begin to enter from the south. Expect flooding and winds to increase substantially across the area, especially over the mountains & foothills. It’s expected that the worst of the weather will move in after 3-4 a.m. across NC through early afternoon on Friday. There remains an overnight tornado threat, but the best chance is in the early morning hours.”

SEPT. 27

Pre-staged swift water rescue teams and USAR units in Ashe County carried out 11 swift water rescue missions, evacuating 13 individuals and rescuing three people trapped by floodwaters in homes or vehicles.

SEPT. 27

At 9:46 a.m. on Sept. 27, the Watauga Democrat reported life-threatening flooding was occurring in Boone, and emergency personnel are conducting multiple evacuations in flooded areas.

SEPT. 27

At approximately 7 p.m., Mountain Electric Cooperative first reported power outages connected to Helene with the message: “At approximately 6:50 a.m., we have 11,000 + customers with power outages. The number grows as the wind increases, but we are out working on it. All areas of our system have been affected. We are experiencing a tremendous amount of outages on our entire system, TN and NC. The high winds have brought down several trees and tore a lot of lines down.

SEPT. 27

The first storm-related fatality was reported on the evening of Sept. 27 due to a structural collapse earlier that day.

SEPT. 27

In coordination with the Red Cross, App State opened an emergency shelter in the Holmes Convocation Center. The shelter saw a total of 470 combined overnight stays before it closed on Oct. 11.

SEPT. 28

Watauga County, in coordination with the towns of Boone and Blowing Rock, declared a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until further notice as road conditions were still extremely dangerous in some locations, and emergency personnel were still working hard to clear roads and help those in need.

SEPT. 28

Avery County Fire Marshal/Emergency Management made the following announcement on Sept. 28: “The county and surrounding areas are witnessing blackouts with no power and no cell signal. Keep Avery County in your thoughts and prayers.” Later that day, Avery Emergency Management posted “We have experienced one of the worst storms that’s ever come through our area” and that teams were working around the clock. A list of shelters was also shared, which were used by more than 500 people in Avery County.

OCT. 4

The town of Elk Park lifted its boil water advisory that had been in place since Sept. 27.

OCT. 1

Ashe County announced one person died due to the storm.

SEPT. 30

Blue Ridge Energy estimates that about 64,000 customers — effectively 80% of their customer base — lost power by Friday, which was “the worst” in the company’s history.

SEPT. 30

The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a second storm-related death, which was caused when a structure collapsed into a river.

SEPT. 30

The town of Jefferson lifted its boil water advisory that had been in place since Sept. 28.

SEPT. 30

OCT. 4

The town of Beech Mountain lifted its boil water advisory that had been in place since Oct. 1.

OCT. 7

The town of Newland lifted its boil water advisory that had been in place since Sept. 29.

OCT. 13

Blue Ridge Energy announces that all members had power restored as of 9:54 p.m. on Oct. 13. More than 500+ line technicians, tree specialists and grading crews worked to restore power.

OCT. 24

Watauga County Schools reopens for students after being closed since Sept. 26.

OCT. 26

Mountain Electric Cooperative reports that the town of Newland is down to 125 power outages related to the storm.

OCT. 28

Watauga County Emergency Services rescinds the county-wide curfew in place since Sept. 28.

The town of Boone lifted its boil water notice that had been in place since Sept. 27 due to multiple water main breaks.

SEPT. 29

President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration for North Carolina, including Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties.

OCT. 29

Ashe County Schools reopens after being closed to students since the storm.

OCT. 31

The town of Banner Elk lifted its water advisory that had been in place since Oct. 29. The storm destroyed most of the water lines, which had to be replaced.

NOV. 6

Avery County Schools reopens after being closed since Sept. 27.

NOV. 15

Avery County lifted its curfew that had been in place since the evening of Sept. 27.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Rusty Gaeta

By Nathan Ham

A group message on the Signal chat app led to a heroic rescue of two senior citizens in Elk Park by a retired Green Beret living in Ashe County.

Rusty Gaeta was one of several members in a group chat with other Special Operations Forces and their family members discussing various humanitarian relief needs. Gaeta said a message was sent from a Special Forces Association member in Idaho who had two family members needing a MEDEVAC in Elk Park, located in Avery County.

“When I was in the army, I served on three different United States Army mountain teams. I’ve been in the Andes in South America, in Ecuador, and I’ve been in mountains all over the United States, and that was my job, so we did search and rescue,” Gaeta said. Gaeta responded and said that with some of the area’s road closures, it would probably take about two hours to get there. Gaeta was joined by a friend, a retired doctor, and another Green Beret who had made a 3.5-hour drive to West Jefferson to embark on this rescue attempt.

The crew traveled to Elk Park and quickly encountered road crews attempting to clear debris on Hwy 194 and Highway 19E in Avery County. Two bridges into and out of the location of the two stranded citizens, Charlie and Susie McLean, were destroyed, but a makeshift earthen bridge over the river had been built by folks in the neighborhood thanks to a bulldozer and a bunch of large rocks and stones.

“It was pretty rough, kind of like rock crawling, so I pulled up at the driveway and said, ‘My name is Rusty Gaeta, and your son sent me to get you,’ and the dad just collapsed; he couldn’t believe it. Everybody was in tears,” Gaeta said. “I said you guys are going to go with me; I’m going to take you to my house, you’re going to stay a couple of days, and then I’m going to get you on an airplane to Spokane, Washington, to see your grandkids.”

Susie was recovering from a recent heart attack, and Charlie was on chemotherapy battling leukemia, so getting them out of danger was the most important thing. Gaeta shared a proof-of-life photo with their son and eventually transported them to the airport in Winston-Salem to fly out to Spokane.

Gaeta’s volunteer efforts did not end there. Once he was back in Ashe County, Gaeta and other Special Forces members set up a command center in his barn and went out to Lansing to offer any help that could be provided. Gaeta and the other volunteers conducted reconnaissance missions and for the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department about what bridges were gone on small side roads. They also took time to deliver food and supplies to residents.

“My guys told me they had to leave the food and water somewhere in the driveway because a lot of folks just don’t want help. You know they’re resilient, they’re leftovers of the greater generation that was here before us, living in these mountains,” Gaeta said.

Photo submitted

A team of Green Berets with Rusty Gaeta as they plan their next course of action.

Photo submitted Rusty Gaeta’s barn was used as a command center.

Photo submitted Rusty Gaeta with Charlie McLean (center left) and Susie McLean (center).

•Local seller of Watauga Strong erchandise(including T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers). Showing support to students and families in Watauga Countywho are recovering rom the impacts o urricane Helene.

• Served as a logistic emergency support hub andsto age acility or construction, refurbishment o housing and amily support ulfillment needs.

• Ongoing supplier o daily demands,building material and e pert knowledge tosatisfy individual,government, business and organi ational needstobuild back a stronger andbetter community!

Chambers of Commerce step up to support hurricane recovery, relief

By Moss Brennan

In the days, weeks and months following Hurricane Helene sweeping through the High Country, area Chambers of Commerce have supported and spearheaded relief efforts.

On the Wednesday before the storm arrived, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO David Jackson said they connected with Watauga County Emergency Services.

“Many times, we are a connector between emergency personnel and their needs for food and lodging,” Jackson said. “We began working with Kristi Pukansky in trying to find restaurants that anticipated being open during the day Friday. Obviously, what people thought Thursday night and what they experienced Friday became different things.”

When the storm hit, their goals were threefold.

“Once we were able to account for our staff, we got a small group together for the first time Saturday morning in an effort to see how we could best plug into the community’s response need,” Jackson said.

In situations like this, he said they would communicate through WCES Director Will Holt and ask, “How can we be helpful?”

Jackson said that on Saturday their “portfolio” began to change. They were tasked with checking on fuel supply at area gas stations and also trying to get a handle on what places were open for basic supplies. That afternoon, they were tasked with coordinating supply delivery and working to find some areas where supplies could be stored and distributed.

‘Our second goal was to begin reaching out to businesses – those we could connect with – to see what their needs are, and obviously, there were some areas where needs were extremely acute,” Jackson said. “We had staff members that were charged with making those connections. It was also a helpful way for us to start to truly understand the level of shortterm devastation, but also understand who was able to be of service.”

Their third goal was to begin communicating, and Jackson said they

used some of their COVID playbook for that.

“We knew that channels were sporadic at the onset, and we have a large email and social media outreach. We began repurposing emergency information and also putting out our own details to help alert people to our needs (supplies), the travel impacts, and the overall severity of the situation,” Jackson explained. “Once daily meetings commenced at the EOC, Lindsay Cook from our staff was invited to attend those meetings. It was a huge help to us to get information out while also connecting the influx of aid workers and support teams with resources. She still attends those weekly meetings and she and Joe Furman are managing a supply warehouse that is still distributing items to people/ organizations in need.”

The Boone Chamber became a point of contact for a variety of people who were trying to get supplies to the area – from government and private sector sources.

“Over time, we have taken on the lead advocacy role for the community with the Federal and State governments as it related to business recovery aid. We are also still managing supplies, working with businesses on resource needs, and answering lots of questions about what is needed in our area.”

Throughout the incident, chambers across the region have been in communication. The Boone and Blowing Rock Chambers started coordinating to get supplies to harder-hit areas, as the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce had set up a Disaster Relief Outreach Post at the American Legion.

“I saw amazing things transpire post Hurricane Helene. The acts of kindness and giving were so incredible and I continue to be impressed as the efforts still continue,” Blowing Rock Chamber VP of Business Development Cathy Barker said. “So many people in our community pulled up their sleeves and went to work volunteering, making food, loading helicopters for World Central Kitchen,

transporting supplies to other counties, delivering generators and Starlink devices.”

“The stories go on and on, and believe me, everyone has a story to tell. Everyone wanted to help in some way,” Barker said. “That was the common thread that brought people together.”

Jackson said the Avery Chamber became a key point of contact in efforts to get supplies to areas that could not be reached.

“Between Boone, Blowing Rock, Ashe, Avery, McDowell, Asheville, and Hen dersonville, our Chambers have been connecting on various projects and advocacy initiatives since we all could get ahold of one another poststorm,” Jackson said.

With immediate help needed, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation—which was formed in early 2023—was in a unique position.

“We were sitting in the Student Union at App on Saturday afternoon (internet access) and Emma asked me, ‘Do you think the foundation could be helpful right now?’ We then made two calls that miraculously went through – one to Ethan Dodson, our freshly minted Development Officer, and the other to Brady Combs, our CPA, and made sure we were ready and legal,” Jackson said.

“Our foundation board quickly authorized our efforts, and our Hurricane Helene Disaster support fundraising began.” It is not uncommon for Chambers and EDCs in communities to set up funds like these, and many others exist throughout WNC.

Since late September, the Chamber Foundation has distributed $664,500 in donated funds to local businesses, including more than $458,000 in business recovery disaster grants to 162 businesses.

“I’ve seen the best of us at the worst of times. I’ve seen people with their

resources and expertise they were in position to provide – and did not hesitate in doing so. I’ve seen the University, the Town of Boone, and Watauga County work together in a way that shows us all what is possible and how our community can benefit from their synergy. I’ve seen devastation on one street and what appears to be business as usual just one street over. I’ve seen county lines not matter – help and need matters more,” Jackson said. “I’ve seen the hospitality that we’ve extended people for years pay us back tenfold in the support we received from off the mountain in the first few weeks, and even still today. We have always been strong and resilient and will continue to be those things. I think we also saw that people love this place and are willing and able to support us – and we have needed that more than ever.”

For more information on the foundation, visit www.boonechamber.com/ foundation.

Photo submitted Members of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce meet in their office as they work on relief efforts.

Photo submitted

Blowing Rock Chamber VP of Business Development Cathy Barker helps with relief efforts at The American Legion.

Greene Construction was hit hard by Helene. In addition to our own business of�ice, much of our team saw signi�icant damage to their homes and property from the storm. We mounted a company response to help our employees, customers, neigh‐bors, and community in their time of need. We’ve been build‐ing the High Country for over 75 years ‐ Now we are committed to helping our community rebuild!

App State students helped each other — and their High Country neighbors

By Brian Miller

Riley Edwards’ internship with Bigfoot Builders put him on the front lines of a natural disaster response in the days after Helene devastated the High Country. Edwards — a senior building sciences-construction management major from Colfax who is a member of the App State wrestling team — has been working with the Boone-based construction company since the summer.

Bigfoot Builders rallied its workers together to transport supplies and begin rebuilding areas in Avery and Watauga counties that were significantly impacted by the hurricane. As soon as Edwards was able to join in on the action, he got to work — and he didn’t stop working for a week straight.

“I was probably working 10 to 12 hours a day, helping out however I could,” he said.

Edwards said, in the early stages, Bigfoot Builders’ main focus was to deliver supplies to those in need, with one of the top priorities being the Fall Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Elk Park.

“Their road probably had a 200yard section that was just gone,” said Edwards. “There was no way to get to that fire department, so we had maybe a dozen of us on side-by-

sides, just so we could bring them a bunch of supplies.”

The next day, with help from about 40 volunteers, Bigfoot Builders sent a grading crew to begin road work at the site. Simultaneously, teams were dispatched to Cove Creek to check on houses and deliver supplies to areas inaccessible by most vehicles.

Cait Kinnamon organized resources and recruited volunteers

“One of the Cove Creek residents … we found out his driveway was gone and he had no power, and a mudslide took out his barn and woodshop. Throughout the week we were checking on him, bringing him supplies and working on his driveway,” Edwards said.

Edwards shared that Bigfoot Builders launched a GoFundMe, raising more than $10,000 for supplies by Oct. 21, while his personal Amazon wish list brought in an additional $1,000 in donated supplies. He also made daily Facebook posts to spread the word, crediting family and friends for their strong support.

“I was really moved, seeing how many people were willing to help, especially to work on the outskirts of Boone where people lost everything,” he said. “Even those who were most affected were super

thankful. It was really special to see the community come together.”

Edwards plans to work for Bigfoot Builders full time after he graduates in spring 2025.

After a brief power outage in App State’s Mountaineer Hall, Cait Kinnamon, a resident assistant, said she began to understand the extent of the storm’s impacts across Western North Carolina. That’s when the senior environmental geology major from Winston-Salem put her organizational skills to work.

“It didn’t affect us too much on campus,” she said, “but by Saturday afternoon is when we started to realize just how bad this really was, especially outside of town.”

Kinnamon said she initially learned about the need for water, which quickly grew to include supplies such as food, diapers and chainsaws. In response, she created a spreadsheet to organize resources and recruit volunteers, which she shared on her social media pages.

“The sheet had tabs for people to know where to get donations, find shelter or find food,” said Kinnamon. “I also had a volunteer tab and tabs for people who could help with chainsaws and other specific needs — I tried to cover a little bit of everything.”

Kinnamon received an overwhelming response to her spreadsheet, with messages filtering in from across the state.

“Seeing the community come together was really beautiful,” she said. “It’s times like these that everyone can put their differences aside and just be there for one another.”

Kinnamon put her own hands to work as well, participating in a week’s worth of volunteering at a variety of sites, including Casting Bread food pantry in Blowing Rock, the distribution center at The Summit pickleball courts in Boone and the distribution center at Jimmy and Jean’s Family Entertainment and Arcade in West Jefferson.

Kinnamon also checked in on her fellow students and faculty members in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, making personal supply runs for students and helping a professor clean up after a landslide on their property.

“I do all of this because I want to have a more meaningful experience with where I live,” she said. “I’m not just here to go to school — I’m here to be a part of this community.”

Photo submitted

Volunteers with Bigfoot Builders, including App State senior building sciences-construction management major Riley Edwards, work to repair a driveway at a home in the Cove Creek area.

Photo submitted

App State senior environmental geology major Cait Kinnamon, third from the right in the back row, volunteers with a group at the hurricane relief distribution center at Jimmy and Jean’s Family Entertainment and Arcade in West Jefferson.

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Dr. Amber Welborn, assistant professor in App State’s Department of Nursing, led a group of students who volunteered to sort medical supplies to be delivered via aircraft at the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Regional Airport. Pictured from left to right in the back row are Welborn, senior nursing major Jesse Gargis, senior exercise science major Noah Foy, senior nursing major Caitlyn Moore, senior nursing major Ella Pyatt and senior nursing major Eli Dowler. Shown from left to right in the front row are senior nursing major Morgan Haines and Welborn’s daughter Olivia.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Birdies Coffee

By Moss Brennan

After the storm, one local business helped fuel recovery efforts and raise spirits in Watauga County with one cup of coffee at a time.

Birdies Coffee and Treats, owned by Tiffany Norman and Katie Greene, went to several community areas to serve hot drinks and pastries to community members, volunteers, emergency services personnel, Department of Transportation workers, and Watauga County Schools maintenance workers. They were able to do that after receiving donations from others.

“So many from out of town were desperately wanting to help in any way possible,” Greene and Norman said. “The donations to help cover the cost of the coffee and pastries were rolling in, and we were using our resources to go onsite to these places to serve. We wanted to meet people where they were, serve them a hot cup of coffee and hug their necks.

They went to various locations in the county that served as hubs for the community.

“The storm didn’t allow anyone to have a minute to pause or take a breath to make a plan,” they said. “The emergency service workers responded immediately and without hesitation to provide assistance to some of the most vulnerable in our community. So many were helping their neighbors while still without power and water themselves. In our minds, we couldn’t fix roads or remove downed trees, but we could serve some hot coffee. It was important that these folks felt supported and appreciated for all they were doing.”

A month after the storm, Birdies Coffee and another local business, Blue Deer Cookies, participated in the Concert for Carolina by serving the back of the house at the concert — the artists, band members, managers, families, and anyone else working behind the scenes.

The event raised more

than $24 million for five organizations working to help Western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene: Chief Cares, Manna FoodBank, Second Harvest Food Bank NWNC, Samaritan’s Purse, and Eblen Charities. More than 80,000 people attended the event, and many more watched the live stream. With everything that happened, they are “beyond” proud of how the community responded.

“So much of Watauga County and the High Country is rural farmland and it’s easy for us to isolate in a sense, but the storm brought people together. Neighbors meeting neighbors they have never spoken to before and offering a helping hand. Others showing up to shovel mud, clean debris or serve hot meals. The storm broke down the confines that mountain folks often experience, and our hope is that we continue to move forward united and stronger than before,” they said.

Beyond Grateful

While the road to full recovery is still long,together, we Stay Mountain Strong!

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Photo submitted

A Samaritan’s Purse volunteer talks to Tiffany Norman after getting a cup of coffee.

Photo submitted

Birdies Coffee and Treats let those driving by the Meat Camp Volunteer Fire Department know they had free coffee and treats available.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Jessica Clearwater

By Nick Fogleman

After Hurricane Helene, Jessica Clearwater continued to do what she does best: cook food.

“I’m not the person you call to muck out your basement, but I’ll come feed you,” Clearwater said. Clearwater owns MoonDance Catering, and with all of her events canceled, she continued to cook, distributing roughly 500 meals at no cost to those impacted by the storm and those working for relief.

“All my events were canceled, and I knew I had to do something,” Clearwater said.

Clearwater works out of Myer’s Kitchen in Blowing Rock. After loading up her vehicle with meals, she made her way into the hardest-hit areas during a time when few people had made it out there.

“There were a few places set up, but they still needed food,” Clearwater said. “There wasn’t any coordination in the beginning, so I just started going out to the areas that were hardest hit.”

As she made her way through the county, Clearwater would stop

anyone she saw to see if they needed food. She fed people mudding out houses, clearing debris, and working at distribution sites, and they would often point her in the direction of others in need.

“People were cleaning mud out of their houses and we stopped and asked if they wanted food,” Clearwater said. “And they’d say, ‘This neighbor had a mudslide, I’m sure they’d want some food.’” Clearwater made her way through the area, delivering food in Cove Creek, Linville, Elk Mills and many other locations. Along with hot meals, she always made sure to deliver sweets like brownies or candy.

“I made Bratwurst, my grandmother’s German potato salad, and braised cabbage. I did turkey and apple meatloaf with potatoes and macaroni and cheese,” Clearwater said. “It’s comfort food.”

Clearwater also partnered with Burt Myers, owner of Myer’s Kitchen, to cook 200 meals for a North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund fundraiser. Some customers went

above and beyond, paying extra for meals and purchasing more meals than they wanted to receive.

“I had somebody contact me, and she wanted two meals, and she’s going to pay $100,” Clearwater said.

“Somebody came in and bought 10 meals and didn’t want any of them,” Myers said.

Clearwater was supported through donations from all over the area, as past clients, friends, and community members pitched in to fund the ingredients for these home-cooked meals.

“People just started just sending me money,” Clearwater said. “Past clients that follow me, weddings I did five years ago. I couldn’t do it without the support of the community.”

After an experience on her first day out, Clearwater knew that her service was a welcome gift to people working long hours in the wake of the destruction.

“The first day we went out we went to a house that had a landslide wipe out half of the house,” Clearwater said. “They

Blowing Rock’s American Legion transformed into hub for resources

By Nick Fogleman

As communities in Western North Carolina responded to Hurricane Helene, the American Legion building in Blowing Rock became a distribution center to support counties that were devastated by the storm.

“We had resources, and we wanted to help,” Cathy Barker of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce said. “Everybody in our community was reaching out asking how to help.”

Donations came into Blowing Rock from across the country, and the American Legion building was soon full of clothes, food, diapers, pet food, blankets, and even handknit sweaters.

“It’s people helping people,” Barker said.

Volunteers began showing up from other counties, people delivered supplies from other states, and even a wedding party

were so happy to see us. He still sends me text messages, and they are an amazing family. The spirit they had and the faith they had was unbelievable.”

Traveling in the hardest-hit areas so soon after the storm let Clearwater see its true toll. When she came across a family looking for a loved one in the debris of a landslide, Clearwater knew she was doing the right thing.

“They had not eaten all day, and they’ve been searching all day,” Clearwater said. “I don’t think anybody was more appreciative than they were. That’s when I knew that I was able to give something back to people.”

Since the storm, her catering company has still provided meals to events in the area, and like so many others, Clearwater is thankful for the ways in which the community responded to Helene.

“My husband had a heart attack this summer, and I felt my community rally around us, and I felt like so many people rallied around me during that time; it made me want to give back that much.

whose plans were canceled offered to help.

As they began to receive calls from other counties about the resources they needed, volunteers were able to respond quickly and the American Legion soon became one of the many places those in need could call.

Chef José Andrés of World Central Kitchen even landed a helicopter to pick up warm food brought to Blowing Rock from a Raleigh catering company to deliver to Banner Elk.

The work of volunteers and the generosity of everyone involved was apparent every day as the relief efforts continued.

“The kindness and the hearts of these people have just been nonstop. It’s amazing,” Barker said.

One couple, whose home in Blowing Rock received damage, found time to volunteer for days at the American Legion building,

even as Hurricane Milton, which came a few days later, threatened their home in Dayton, Florida.

Once the storm passed, Jerry Traudt and his wife, Lynda Lasseter, knew they had to help other impacted communities.

“We are always looking to help people; it’s just the way we are,” Traudt said.

“We enjoy doing it. We wear ourselves out, but we don’t mind.”

“There’s no feeling like being a helper. When we see a need, we fill it,” Lasseter said.

The effort was supported by the Town of Blowing Rock, The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce and Blowing Rock Tourism Development Board.

The building served as a distribution site for several donations and became one of the many hubs in Blowing Rock of kindness and generosity.

Photo by Nick Fogleman

Jessica Clearwater distributed roughly 500 meals she cooked at Myer’s Kitchen.

Photo submitted

The hard work of the volunteers made the American Legion building one of the many sites distributing resources after the storm.

Photo submitted In the days after the storm, the American Legion building was soon filled with resources.

Photo submitted

The volunteers at the American Legion collected resources that were distributed by World Central Kitchen’s helicopter.

Helene hit our area on Friday, September 27th. The next day K Cares delivered 17 generators to our office. Then returned on Monday, September 30th with 40 more generators, dehumidifiers, water and fans. There were so many tears that were shed on those days. The following are just a few of the stories that our MC has experienced over the past month.

allace joined our office in ugust. He has had his real estate license for 20 years but currently is employed at a local bank. He has decided that he is going to retire in December from the bank and then focus on real estate. hen I met allace the first time he told me that his wife was on a ventilator and that he and his daughter take care of her at home. He wants to focus on listings so that he can be present to take care of her but still make some income for their family. f course this tugged at my hear t strings. hen I knew we were getting the generators I reached out to allace and asked if he would like one. He said yes that would be wonder ful. He arrived at our office that Monday to pick up his generator. My husband was speaking with him and allace began to tell him how he was running his wife's ventilator cord out the window to their vehicle, running the car ever y hour to keep her breathing. f course we gave allace a generator for his wife and one for his home. He then asked me how much he owed for the generators. hen I told him nothing that it was bought by K Cares that when he joined K he didn' t just join a brokerage he joined a family. He was in disbelief. He also had 8 feet of water in his basement. It's a miracle that their home didn' t float away like other people's homes on the road where he lives. K Cares provided this family with two generators and one dehumidifier.

Nikki is an LC member and was without power at her home. She received a generator from K Cares on Saturday, September 28th. Instead of taking the generator home for her and her family which includes her husband and 4 children. She gave her husband the generator and he hooked it up to the community well so that they could help four other neighbors have running water.plus themselves. She has worked tirelessly reaching out to her clients asking them to rent their homes to displaced vic tims of Helene. ne of which includes an agent with our office who has 5 children at home. They were living in a hotel when Nikki found a home big enough for them to rent.

Jennifer and her son Brandon are a Mother/Son Real Estate Team. They live in Creston, NC. n Friday, September 27th Jennifer was outside when a mudslide came hit her neighbors home killing her neighbor and then created a 5 foot mud bank around their home. She ran around her house screaming for her family to get out of the home. Because of the roads collapsing and mudslides they had to walk 7.5 miles to get help. K Cares provided a generator but more impor tantly they have provided a $5000 grant to help them tr y to save their home. Jennifer and her husband also had a rental home in Damascus, irginia that was destroyed by the flood and condemned. During the past month I can not tell you how many times Jennifer asks me what she can do for someone else or myself. Her attitude is common for most of the people who have lost their homes or who have been through this disaster. FEM is out of money, SB loans currently have over 40,000 applications with only 700 approved. Jennifer's application was not approved due to not having funding. But K Cares has helped them when they didn' t have help from anyone else. The Damascus home will have to be torn down. The home in Creston is unsafe for them to live in currently. e are having a fundraiser at our office to help put funds together to help them rebuild the home or build a new one. I have attached some pic tures below to share. The following are Jennifer's words that she posted about K Cares and how it has helped her family.

"I wanted to share this link for anyone looking to donate to a group that D ES give out the money ( This is for K associates and their families. There are more than 100,000 associates worldwide.) I know this first hand, because we were given a $5000 grant that was sent to my bank account within a day of when they said it would be. This is more than 5 times what FEM has currently given (we are 9 weeks post hurricane and still pending). It's 5000 times more than what our insurance (US ) didn' t give us. I can' t thank K C RES enough... people keep asking me if they wanted to donate money, who should they donate to? This is the group that I have witnessed first hand that helps from the money standpoint."

These are just a few of the stories that I have heard over the past few weeks. e have agents who have been searching for sur vivors, some who were without power for 26 days. It will be a long road to recover y for our community par tly to rebuild butalso to have people come visit our beautiful area again.

Spear community rallies together in time of need

By Christian Gardner

As Hurricane Helene left the region of Western North Carolina all but demolished, it didn’t take very long for the spirit of Appalachia to come about and make its strength known. With little to no contact as power and cell signals were out across the county, many wondered if help would ever arrive. It didn’t take long for local people to jump into action, as efforts of neighbors helping neighbors began.

Many communities quickly rallied, including the Spear community, whose residents leaped into action and organized almost immediately to begin helping other residents.

Derek and Erin Buchanan of Spear own several local businesses, including Wheels Contracting, as well as the Spear Country Store, which serves as both a convenience store and a restaurant. The store typically serves as a go-to community spot, where many older gentlemen like

to gather for breakfast, drink coffee and discuss the goings-on of the county. But the morning of Friday, Sept. 25, would change that.

After the flood hit and damage had been done, Derek quickly realized the severity of the situation and began to check on his fellow employees. Upon noticing the severity of the damage, everyone in the area realized it was going to take a lot of work to not just get back to normal, but to get to locals in critical need of medicine and other important supplies.

“We knew with the reports coming in, it had the potential to be bad, and more times than not, it’s never as bad as what they say. But the next morning, water started rising, and reports came in, and got worse and worse,” Derek Buchanan said.

Derek explained that his sister’s house and much of his own property and equipment were washed away in the storm. More tragically,

Buchanan explained that he also lost a family member.

“So the next day, it was almost a shock, but you could see the need. So many people lost everything,” Buchanan added.

Upon seeing the devastation, it was never a question of doing something, as he and the team jumped into action to start helping. To start, Buchanan reached out to his employees to ensure all were safe, which consisted of mainly driving out to see them.

“We emailed, texted, checked on all we could, and told them we were praying for them, asking anyone that could to meet up at the store the next morning,” Derek explained.

The next morning, upon arriving at the store, almost every one of his employees arrived, even those who had lost everything.

“We got together and prayed, and you could feel God all over the situation,” Derek explained.

Employees rallied around Spear to see what they could do to help others, which began a chain reaction of work being done in the immediate area.

The team had some contacts in the Charlotte area who were pilots, leading to supplies being flown into Avery County Airport in short order upon learning that the airport road was reachable by UTVs. The community responded however it could, utilizing side-by-side utility vehicles to begin sheltering and delivering supplies that were being brought into the area.

The team of volunteers quickly thought of making a list of every home in the area, in order by each road, including communities such as Henson’s Creek, Pancake, Roaring Creek, and many more.

“The community started doing

Photo by Christian Gardner The Spear community came together to help deliver supplies and offer free meals.

Photo by Christian Gardner Hot free meals were offered in the Spear community to anyone who needed them in the storm’s immediate aftermath.

Establishedin1964, W.A.M.Y.(Watauga, Aver y, Mitchell,Yancey) wasthe first human-ser vice nonprofit in theHighC ountry’s four-county area.WAMY’s missioncontinues to partnerwithfamilies and ourcommunity to helpthe disadvantagedbecome self-sufficient. Ever ythree years, WAMY conducts a community needsassessmenttodesignrelevantprograms.

Currently, WAMY has four programs:Housing& Energy,YouthDevelopment, Food &Nutrition,and Family Development. While WAMY receivesfederaland statefunding, donations from privatedonorsoffer greaterflexibility to meet growingneedsinour communities.

To learnmoreordonatevisit wamycommunityaction.org.

AboutCommunity Action Agencies: Community Action Agencies (CAAs) arelocal non-profit organizationsthatcombatpoverty andempower low-income individuals as part of theWar on Poverty initiative. CAAsrelyonvolunteer work andfederalfunding, including theCommunity Services Block Grant(CSBG)and Weatherization Assistance Program(WAP), to supporta varietyofprograms. Governed by adiverse boardof directors,CAAsare committed to alleviating povertyand promoting economic mobility.

Spear

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their own welfare checks, and as they checked on each house, they also gathered a list of things needed for that household,” Derek noted.

Once reachable, the team quickly began working with their local fire department in the Frank community, which was turned into a shelter and supplies site, as well as Green Valley Fire Department, which was also a supply pickup point.

As welfare checks were being made and supplies were being delivered to homes, the Wheels Contracting side of the team began working on clearing and fixing roads just enough to make them passable.

“DOT was super helpful and quickly helped us do what was needed to make the roads passable. DOT has a cut-and-shove program and responded very quickly. We had some equipment, but a lot that we couldn’t get to. So what we had locally, we used to make do,” Derek explained.

“We’ve definitely got to tip our hat to DOT, and contractors all over Avery County started doing the ‘Cut and Shove,’ and within a four-day time period, all roads were at least passable by side by side. They done a fantastic job.”

Work continued to take place in an array of ways, then to further the operation, hot meals were all but immediately being prepared at the Spear store. Using cookers and propane, the store provided food, with meals also being flown in for a time. From Buchanan’s estimations, the store served between 600 and 700 meals a day during the first week after the damage.

Food, water and household essentials were just some of the supplies being delivered, and quickly the team got medical supplies and was helping deliver those, as well as oxygen, to those in need of it.

“It was the local people taking care of the local people,” said Derek.

A few days later, word of the efforts of the community spread, and many were interested to hear the story of the little community

doing big tasks for one another. Even government officials were stopping by the community such as NC Liutenant Governor Mark Robinson, who made an appearance on Saturday, Oct. 5, addressing and greeting more than 100 people who were on hand. Robinson spoke of the spirit of the community and its people, which is key to keeping communities alive and well.

“These are some very strong and tough people. It’s these volunteers that will help build back Western North Carolina,” Robinson said.

More than two weeks have passed since the devastating event, and the civilian efforts of the Spear community haven’t diminished. Hot meals continue to be served daily, including a recent visit from the Chikfil-A mobile truck.

“We knew God gave us some resources. This was one hundred percent God,” Derek testified.

There is a lot of work still to be done, and it will be quite a while before things “get back to normal,” but the Spear community and the spirit of Appalachia will not soon let up.

Photo by Christian Gardner Crews working to help clear US Hwy. 19E near the Spear community on the Toe River.

High Country Hurricane Heroes:

Kendra Phipps and Susie Douglas

By Nick Fogleman

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Watauga County Extension Agents Kendra Phipps and Susie Douglas truly learned what it meant to be a public servant in Watauga County.

“I don’t think anyone expected this to happen on the level it did,” Douglas said.

After the storm passed, Phipps worked with her family to repair their property and cut their way out, and Douglas began transporting and distributing donations from her hometown to Watauga County.

Once Phipps was able to receive calls from family and friends, she realized the extent of the damage and the long road to recovery the agricultural community would have to take to return to normal.

“I looked at my mom and said, ‘I don’t know what it means to be a public servant in a disaster area,” Phipps said.

“I finally got a hold of Kendra, and she said, ‘We need to get moving,’” Douglas said.

Cooperative Extension is a program through NC State that offers a wide range of programs and services that deliver research and knowledge to the community. Phipps’ work focuses on crop and livestock development at the county’s farms, and Douglas works in the county’s 4-H Youth Development programs, which provide kids with life skills through educational programs.

“I knew that she couldn’t handle it on her own,” Douglas said. “No one could handle it on their own.”

After the storm, they quickly transitioned into different roles: distributors, coordinators, laborers and disaster workers. The extension soon found land that could be utilized as a distribution site and began receiving hundreds of calls from the agricultural community looking for resources and ways to help.

“Right after the storm, someone wanted to deliver that day, so we found the Brown land and just started calling people,” Phipps said. “We went through every contact we had and called everybody to get a hold of

them and to see what they needed.”

Farmers reported miles of fence lines lost, crop fields covered by debris, entire hay crops and feed stores for cattle lost, and many animals suddenly becoming “free range.” Barns were flooded and damaged by landslides, farm roads, bridges, and greenhouses were destroyed, and the home and life of one of the county’s farmers was lost.

Phipps said the hurricane’s toll on farmers has been significant. She told the story of one farmer who sold all his cattle and called it quits.

“He said, ‘By the time I get everything back to the way it was, I’ll be dead,’” Phipps said. Having worked and studied in this field, Phipps and Douglas leveraged their connections throughout the region to procure the immediate supplies farmers requested.

“The agricultural world is a very small world,” Phipps said. “Supplies have come from all over.”

Through their work and others at the extension, they were able to distribute roughly $50,000 worth of fencing supplies, 400 tons of hay, and 70 tons of animal feed to 100 farmers.

“I always want to help where I can, I don’t want to sit and watch,” Douglas said. “You don’t become an extension agent if you don’t like helping people.”

“We’re the oldest sisters in our family, and we tend to take on the role of taking care of everyone, and that’s what we fell into,” Phipps said.

Throughout the relief, Douglas was able to connect with the children she worked with and organize donations and meet-ups for those affected by the storm.

“A lot of the 4-H kids are farm kids,” Douglas said. “My day-to-day life looked a lot different.”

As Phipps and Douglas reflected on the extent of the damage and loss for the county’s farmers, one thing stood out for both of them, the generosity and kindness that was present in this community.

“Applachian farming is very important,” Phipps said. “It’s stuff that entire generations have worked for.”

“We have had the privilege of working with a really kind and helpful community,” Douglas said. “Neither one of us have been in this position for that long, but both of us have been able to make really good connections with great people in the community.”

Photo submitted Kendra Phipps is the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Agent - Agriculture Livestock & Field Crops.

Photo submitted Kendra Phipps unloads bails of hay donated to Watauga County farmers.

Photo submitted

The agents used heavy equipment to transport resources and repair damaged property.

Photo submitted Susie Douglas is the 4-H Youth Development Agent at the County Cooperative Extension.

App State faculty, staff help during the storm

By Brian Miller

Many App State faculty members pitched in to help with hurricane response and recovery, often lending their expertise to fill specific needs in the community. Dr. Kelly Clark, assistant professor in App State’s Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education, led a group of faculty and students who provided tutoring support at Hardin Park Elementary School.

“I was thinking about how families and children with disabilities might not feel like they could bring their child if there were not enough volunteers with a special education background,” said Clark.

Clark noted that local elementary schools have always welcomed App State students for internships and student teaching, making this a meaningful opportunity to give back. Fellow App State faculty members Dr. Daniel Poling and Dr. Angie Harris, both assistant professors in the Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education, joined the cause, as well as nearly 10 App State students majoring in special education and elementary education.

“It was so rewarding to see our students volunteering,” said Clark. “They were so great and willing to do anything. It made me proud, as their professor, to see them in action, and I also loved that I got a chance to volunteer alongside them.”

Olivia Wasson, a junior elementary education major from Williamsburg, Virginia, volunteered at Hardin

Park for two days with first grade students, assisting lead teachers however she could.

“Being an elementary education major, I knew that my education could be put to use to lighten the load for teachers under these stressful and unpredictable circumstances,” said Wasson. “I got to see what it meant to be resilient, and I felt a strong sense of community. I loved getting to see how the Hardin Park staff and faculty stepped up to provide this space and support for children and families from all over Watauga County.”

Gabbe Jennings, a senior special education major from Ferguson, volunteered for two days with first through fourth grade students, where she helped with various arts and crafts, music classes and social and emotional learning.

“I missed being with my students immensely,” said Jennings. “As soon as I heard about the volunteering opportunity, I knew I wanted to be with the kids again, and I was so thankful for the kids who were able to come.”

Dr. Jeremy Ferrell and students put sustainable technology into action

Dr. Jeremy Ferrell, associate professor in App State’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, completed a timely project with his students that provided a neighborhood with electricity during a 10-day power outage.

Each semester, Ferrell’s capstone class works on a community project, and this semester’s project was to install an off-grid photovoltaic (PV)

system in Triplett. The installation was finished on Wednesday, Sept. 25 — two days before the storm hit.

“The timing was remarkable,” said Ferrell, adding that it’s not often that a school project makes such an immediate impact like this. “Everyone who worked on it was really pleased to be able to make a difference,” he said.

Ferrell explained that an off-grid PV system is a solar-powered, battery-based system independent of the electric grid, which is unaffected by outages if sunlight is sufficient and energy is properly managed.

“Triplett was certainly cut off by road for the first couple of days after the storm and didn’t have power for about 10 days total, so I know anyone who was in the area and could use these resources was very grateful,” Ferrell said.

Ferrell said this has been a rewarding experience for him and for his students, who are passionate about sustainable technology.

“I thought it really showcased what renewable energy can do and how it can rise to the occasion in really difficult times like disaster response,” he said. “It makes me think that there’s a lot more we can do to prepare for future events and future outages.”

Dr. Amber Welborn and students organized medical supplies for field hospitals

Dr. Amber Welborn and a group of her students helped organize trauma kits and medical supplies to be flown to areas in need after Hurricane Helene. Welborn, an assistant professor

in App State’s Department of Nursing, noted that physical barriers often hindered vehicle delivery of medical supplies, particularly in remote areas of Western North Carolina, prompting a push for local pilots to transport supplies by air.

“As word got out that pilots were becoming available, people who were managing field hospitals were calling for all sorts of things, from insulin to prescription medicines,” said Welborn. “With so much random stuff being donated and collected, there were requests for nurses who knew what this stuff was and knew what needed to go together in the most useful and organized way.”

Welborn agreed to volunteer at the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Regional Airport, which was one of the medical supply pickup locations for local pilots. Welborn put out a call to her nursing students, and said that within an hour, seven students offered to volunteer with her. They would collectively go on to work, on and off, for about two weeks.

“To be able to see my students and know they were safe made me so happy, and to know that they wanted to be there to help — that’s the kind of work ethic I can’t teach,” said Welborn. “It makes me so proud of them and to know that they’re going to be good nurses.”

Welborn said her 10- and 14-yearold daughters were able to help out and be with her while she volunteered, making this an even more meaningful experience.

Photo submitted App State junior elementary education major Olivia Wasson, left, and App State senior special education major Lauren Young volunteer at Hardin Park Elementary School as part of its free child care program during Hurricane Helene.

Photo submitted

Dr. Amber Welborn, assistant professor in App State’s Department of Nursing, along with a group of her students, volunteered to sort medical supplies to be delivered via aircraft at the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Regional Airport. Pictured are several trauma kits that were put together to be flown to areas in need after Hurricane Helene.

Photo submitted

Dr. Jeremy Ferrell, associate professor in App State’s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, center left, poses with community partner Tommy Lee, center right, and Ferrell’s students at a recently installed off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system in Triplett. The system, which was installed as part of a class project, provided electricity and communications to a Triplett neighborhood while the power was out after Hurricane Helene hit the area.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Recess Skate and Snow

By Zach Colburn

Recess Skate and Snow Shop, a locally owned and operated retail store that specializes in skateboarding and snowboarding, stepped up with its Hurricane Helene Relief Project in the wake of Hurricane Helene. With that project, Recess obtained a lot of warm outerwear, such as jackets, pants, and socks.

According to Ashley Pardy, Co-Owner (along with her husband, J.P.) of the family-owned and operated skate and snowboard shop, their focus has been to get those items out to the people who needed them directly. They’ve continued to pass along products as they’ve gotten them from some of the brands they carry.

“We are continuing our focus on immediate needs in our community and surrounding areas as well as some long-term needs for further down the road,” said Pardy. “We are lucky to be a part of an amazing industry that knows about community and support. We are receiving donations from so many of the awesome brands that we carry here at Recess.”

Some of those brands include Vans, New Balance, 686, Autumn Headwear, Volcom, Nitro Snowboards, L1 Premium Goods, Capita, Union, Coal, HOWL, DWD, Public Snowboards, Thirty-Two, and Mervin.

They’ve been able to pass along

more than 100 pairs of shoes and apparel to schools, the local community and surrounding communities in Western North Carolina.

In addition to the donations, Recess has raised more than $5,000 through its Venmo and has supported families in need by purchasing heaters, new appliances, groceries, bedding, sleeping bags, blankets, and more. That also includes supplying snowboards, boots, bindings, goggles and more to people who lost theirs in the hurricane.

They’ve also provided monetary donations to local organizations raising money for specific needs and continuing to help where they can. One of the organizations they’ve been working closely with is State Line Resource Station.

“We are trying to get people back to some normality and assist them in finding the joy in what they love to do again,” said Pardy. “We’ve been focusing on getting new footwear, warm clothing, jackets, beanies, etc. Another focus of ours has been to replace snowboards and skateboards for as many people as we can who have lost theirs during this hard time. These are items that are not exactly at the top of the list or will even be an option for some to afford with so much they have lost, yet the passion that people have for skateboarding and snowboarding and the outlet they provide will be key to them getting back to some sort of normality.”

Photo courtesy of Recess Skate and Snow

J.P. Pardy and Ashley Pardy, Recess Skate and Snow Shop owners, have raised money to support local families with basic needs.

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High Country Hurricane Heroes: Local Students

By Moss Brennan, Jamie Shell and Nathan Ham

When Hurricane Helene struck the High Country on Sept. 27, schools closed — and remained closed for nearly a month or more in Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. While out of school, students from all across each county put their free time to use to help their community.

The following are just a small sampling of ways students helped.

The Ashe County women’s tennis has spent its 2024 season winning on and off the court. Along with earning a playoff spot and sending a doubles team to the upcoming NCHSAA 3A State Championship Tournament, the Lady Huskies worked hard all season to create and support important projects within the community.

The team collected diapers and wipes that were delivered to the New River Volunteer Fire Department following Hurricane Helene. The team partnered with the Ashe Early College to make special birthday bags for children in kindergarten through third grade that have missed out on celebrating with birthday parties or even getting out of their homes. Each birthday bag had a stuffed turtle, crayons, coloring books, Play-Doh, candy, stickers and a blanket. Along with the birthday bags, many of the Lady Husky tennis team members spent time volunteering by helping serve meals, helping people

clean out their homes and helping with supplies at local churches. Team members also made cards for the many Blue Ridge Energy and SkyLine/SkyBest linemen who worked countless hours to restore power and communication to homes in Ashe County.

“As a coach, I am very proud of these girls,” said Ashe County Head Coach Amy Dollar.

Avery High School Vikings football players and coaches, visited areas especially hit hard from the storm and worked to clear mud from buildings and rid sites of debris.

As time passed by and schools returned to session, others wanted to do something to express their gratitude to the many who worked with the recovery and relief efforts.

Banner Elk Elementary School usually prepares for its annual Christmas play in December, but due to the storm’s impact and missed school days, the play had to be postponed to February. Instead, the school opted to use the time before the holiday season with a project to say thanks to many in the community.

First-grade teacher Katie Carraway suggested that the school borrow from the idea of elaborate Christmas displays seen at famous New York City department stores, creating window displays that honored and thanked those who stood in the gap in the relief and recovery efforts

around the town and area.

Every class window in front of the school was highly decorated to honor different businesses and organizations. One window had a display which thanked the National Guard, one featured a thanks to all the “wood cutters” who leapt to work to cut trees from roadways, a window was created for construction workers, specifically Eggers Construction, for helping to get the road fixed to the school. Another window featured a thank-you to police, firemen and many more.

“We didn’t want to leave anybody out, but we wanted to have enough to thank everyone we could,” said BES Principal Justin Carver.

From helping at distribution centers, unloading and loading donations, working with Samaritan’s Purse, and handing out food, Watauga High School Pioneers worked hard for their community in a time of need.

Many Pioneer athletes took the time during their season to help put together a Care Closet inside the school’s media center.

The Care Closet allowed Watauga County residents to come in and take any articles of clothing they may need for free.

“We wanted it to be a store, not just a come and pilfer through bags and bags of things and try to find something because the people who

came in here yesterday (Thursday), we worked with orders for a family with kids. We’ve had neighbors coming in buying for their neighbors, and we wanted to do something that would make it easier for them to find something they wanted,” said Donna Wellborn, who helped oversee the operation along with the Watauga Athletes for Good club

Along with the Care Closet, schools across the county transformed into distribution centers for community members in need.

Another group of students took their experience during the hurricane and created a moving play that has received statewide recognition.

SURGE was written, directed, and produced by WHS students as a tribute to the strength and unity shown by the community during Hurricane Helene. The storyline weaves through the chaos and heartbreak brought by the storm, with “the water came so fast” as a haunting and hopeful refrain from beginning to end, reflecting the sudden floodwaters that devastated the town and the flood of relief and community support that followed.

“Whatever individuals take from the story is theirs to take, but they should know that this is an homage to the experiences of our town and all places similar,” Playmaker Clara Lappan said. “It is the stories of the people who wrote it.”

Photos by Chantae Hoilman

Following Hurricane Helene’s wreckage, numerous Avery County High School coaches and student-athletes jumped in feet first to help provide relief by serving their fellow neighbors and community members. Whether it involved putting up hay, clearing debris, working at a donation and distribution center, or bringing items to those in need, “Viking Strong” has been a common theme across Avery County.

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In the wake of Hurricane Helene,weare incredibly proud to recognizethe selfless effor ts of our team members who stepped up to suppor tthe communityduring this challenging time.

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Hurricane Helene’s devastation revealed incredible resilienceand kindness.Myson-in-law, DocHendley founder of Wine To Waterhavemet urgentneeds alongside generous communityefforts. Visiting Elk Mills/ Paga, Isaw people who lost ever ything yetpersevered with strength and smiles.Communities united,providing essentials like tools,tinyhomes,and dental care, including contributions from Blue Ridge Dentistr y. This season has been unforgettable,reminding me we’renever alone -God sends help through others.This stormhas tied us closer as acommunity, proving we are truly “blessed in the storm.”

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Alongside wifeSofia “Sophia and Ihavebeen volunteering at F.A.R.M. Cafe, which ser veseveryone regardless of their abilitytopay,using incredible food made from mostly local ingredients.Along with donations to the Boone Chamber of Commerce, F.A.R.M. Cafe, and groceries,we contributed over $500 in total.”

Tara Johnson CDA

Here with her family Tara,working alongside the TLCCenter, playedavital role in suppor ting the communityofRoan Mountain after Hurricane Helene.She tirelessly delivered food and essential supplies to those in need,ensuring no one wasleft behind during the crisis.Beyond that, Tara went the ex tramile -literally-by helping residents clear debris from their driveways, enabling them to regain mobilityand access vital resources. Her selflessness and hands- on approach broughthope and relief to countless families during achallenging time.

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High Country Hurricane Hero: Shane Little

By Nathan Ham

When Hurricane Helene struck the High Country, Ashe County business owner Shane Little started to figure out how he could best help the county’s residents.

“The way I look at it, I was a runner and got done what needed to get done,” Little said. “I stayed in contact with Warrensville and Creston fire departments and those areas, and I made sure they had what they needed when they needed it and got things where they needed to be. I couldn’t necessarily be there every day onsite, but whatever they needed, they’d call me, and I would find it and get it.”

Little also volunteered some of his time with many other community members, cleaning up the Creston Volunteer Fire Department.

“There was about three inches of mud and silt inside the Creston Fire Department that we had to get out,” Little said. “Here in town, we didn’t have to worry about anything.”

As the owner of Style Depot Inc., a salon in Jefferson, and The Clothier, right next door to his salon, Little’s connections to many customers and clients were helpful during such a difficult time.

“One of my clients lives in Raleigh, and they had major connections. They brought up four tractor and trailer loads of different things that were needed in the county. They brought up a big fuel tanker with diesel fuel in it to help supply the fire trucks and people

that had diesel trucks that were cutting trees out,” Little said. “I would get some money sent to me, and what I could not physically find, I would go buy.”

Little has received help from people as far away as Georgia, thanks to the delivery of 25 heaters for the cold winter months. He also received 15 additional heaters delivered from Statesville.

“I wanted to be ‘boots on the ground,’ and I was a little bit, but I realized I was better used in this scenario because I could get in touch with people and get these things,” Little explained.

Looking at the community as a whole, Little shared a story about a client who lived on Deep Ford Road in Lansing. She lost part of the foundation of her house despite living about 11 feet above the flood plain of the New River. When he spoke to her, Little said the conversation brought him to tears.

“She said, ‘the generosity of others is what has kept me going,’” Little said.

“I’m 54 years old. I’m not young, and I don’t claim to be young, but it’s the first time in my lifetime that I have ever seen the community care about itself. It didn’t matter who you were, what sex you were, what color you were, what your religion was, what your politics were. Everybody cared about everybody else.”

Little knows that the recovery efforts will continue long into the future.

“I don’t think we will see ‘normal’ again in Ashe County for years. It’s just one of those situations where everything was so uprooted,” he said.

Shane Little

High Country Hurricane Hero: Mountain Grounds Coffee & Tea Company

By Christian Gardner

After Hurricane Helene made its way through the High Country, many were left without water and electricity, and some without homes to return to at all. As destruction wreaked havoc in the North Carolina mountains, time for leaders and caretakers was of the essence.

As Avery County witnessed essentially a blackout, contact was nearly impossible other than word of mouth. With contact at an all-time low, locals did not know how bad the affected areas were until mere days after the event.

As citizens were left with little communication and many were left with the unknown condition of loved ones, many locals rose to the occasion and stepped up to begin the progress efforts as soon as the storm clouds rolled away.

Mountain Grounds is a local coffee shop located at the base of Grandfather Mountain and has been a staple to the Banner Elk area for many years. After seeing the damage done and the needs being to be met, owners Victoria and Hayden Breckenridge jumped into action along with many others to help in any way possible. Just a few days after the storm, Victoria and Hayden were able to open the doors of their coffee shop, which quickly became a popular location for people to gather or hang out. Mountain Grounds’ parking lot, along with a few other areas, were some of the very first to receive

cell service following the communications outage following the storm, increasing the popularity of the location as a response to the storm got underway.

The coffee shop served more than just a contact area, though.

The owners of Mountain Grounds quickly saw the need for meals and prepared sandwiches and served free coffee and water to those in need, including volunteers, emergency personnel, and more.

“As soon as we could, we realized that people probably had limited resources in terms of what they had in their fridge, and being limited on getting to a grocery store, for a few days, we were pulling whatever food we had out and taking it to the Banner Elk Town Hall, which kind of ended up as a community hub for people trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Hayden Breckenridge said.

“Those first few days, we were able to serve sandwiches and stuff, but once Dobbins Road was cleared and we could get across, we were able to get the shop doors opened pretty quick.”

It wasn’t all simply serving coffee and sandwiches for the Brickenridges, however, as the pair also quickly reacted to the constantly changing needs and jumped into action to help with the distribution centers, stationing themselves at the Historic Banner Elk School.

The Historic Banner Elk School served as a major distribution hub as supplies began pouring into the

community for those affected by the storm. Hayden and Victoria were a few of many who helped deliver supplies and orchestrate supply runs to other distribution sites across the county.

“It was really tough at first. It was kinda like playing ‘telephone.’ With contact being so limited, you could ask one location what they needed, and if it took a few days to gather that need, by the time you got it there there would have been several other places already bringing that same thing,” Hayden explained.

Although the supply runs were chaotic, Hayden explained it was a blessing that everyone was working so well together in the time of need.

“There’s so many people to thank, it’s easy to miss someone. We definitely want to extend thanks to the Avery County Manager Phillip Barrier, (Banner Elk Town Manager) Rick Owen, Grandfather Vineyard and Winery, Linville Falls Winery, and so many that even though they lost things themselves, they were right there ready and willing to help,” said Hayden.

On Oct. 20, 23 days after Helene’s local impact, Mountain Grounds reopened its doors to regular business hours and is still serving the community in this way.

For more information on Mountain Grounds, visit their constantly

social media platforms and

Photo submitted ayden Breckenridge helped with recovery efforts in Avery.

On behalf of Bassett Furniture Industries, our hearts and prayers are with the families of the High Country affected by HurricaneHelene. eH

—Charlie Weathers

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High Country Hurricane Heroes: William and Melissa Greer

By Nathan Ham William Greer, the pastor at Living By Faith Church,

learned early on during Hurricane Helene about two of his elderly church members who had become stranded in their home in Grassy Creek.

He and his wife, Melissa, started seeing photos of the storm’s destruction throughout the county, particularly in the area near where they knew this elderly couple lived. They went to check on them to make sure they were OK.

“The road was gone, it was just peeled up. So they parked and had to walk into where they were at, and she stood on the other side of what used to be their bridge, yelling their names, and then they finally came out of the house, so she knew they were OK,” Melissa said.

William, who worked in construction in addition to being a pastor, decided to do what he could to repair the couple’s bridge. The wife has some health issues, so being able to get out of the home was a necessity.

“They couldn’t get their vehicles out, so I went to town to get some lumber to fix the bridge,” William said. “But later on, they (Lansing’s Bridge to Recovery) actually came and put in a whole new bridge. I’ve helped

build bridges, but this particular bridge, it was just the act of God that it didn’t wash the steel beams that holds the wood up, the I-beams were still there, so they had something to work with. So I just made a path about 30 inches where she could get out and walk across it.”

Later, William and Melissa decided to find a way to get electricity back and running.

“Naturally their power was out, so our next step, we got a generator over to them to give them power for lights and different things, maybe to run small appliances,” William said.

“We were just praising God that they were OK. The water got up to almost the corner of their foundation of their home, but it did not get to the foundation. That’s how close it came. It was a scary time for sure, we both lived through Hugo, it was nothing like this,” Melissa said. Melissa was moved to tears thinking about all of the damage done to so many communities in Ashe County.

“It’s devastating. Not only devastating like people losing their homes, but it’s devastating to the heart because there’s so much I can’t explain it. It just absolutely devastated us to see our whole town in the destruction that it was,” Melissa said.

Photo submitted

The area where the couple lived was heavily damaged.

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High Country Hurricane Hero: Kristin Howell

By Francisco Hernandez

When Hurricane Helene tore through Lansing and the surrounding area, all Kristin Howell could do was watch the North Fork New River rise and turn into a raging torrent.

As roads on either side of Howell became impassable due to heavy flooding, mudslides, or downed trees, the former manager of Park Vista Diner and the owner of Kristin’s Hook’d on Smoke, a popular local food truck, found herself at the center of the chaos.

Howell said about 20 people gathered on her property when it became apparent that there was no way out. They could do nothing except watch the river tear through the area and wait out the storm. As the storm raged on, part of Howell’s home flooded.

“As you watch that river come up that high, you really didn’t know what was getting ready to happen,” Howell said. “Everybody was frantic. I think we were all just worried about what was next, because we didn’t know if anyone was alive or anyone was dead.”

When the storm passed and the waters receded, people showed up with chainsaws to cut through the trees. Those who had gathered at

Howell’s were finally able to leave.

“I think everyone left around 8 or 8:30 p.m. that night,” Howell said. Howell herself was finally able to leave as well, and when she decided to go to Lansing, she realized how bad the storm really was.

She was astonished to see that some of the businesses along Highway 194 had waterlines as high as nine feet. This led her to worry about the Park Vista diner she formerly managed, but when she checked on it, she saw it had minimal damage.

As it became clear that Helene had decimated Lansing and the surrounding communities, Howell knew she had to act. Drawing on her extensive network of contacts and a

deep sense of community, she set out to provide aid and comfort to those in need. After speaking with the landlord, Howell determined the best thing she could do was make sure people were fed.

After checking with her staff, those who were able to help met with Howell and they began to cook food from the Park Vista diner to give out. The employees who were able to help were compensated through monetary donations from people who knew Howell.

“We started with 160 meals,” Howell said. “I started with the fire department in Warrensville and then Lansing, and then it grew. When people found out what we were doing, we started getting calls.”

Their efforts quickly snowballed as Howell coordinated with local fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations to ensure those in need were fed and supported. LifeStore Bank and other groups donated funds to help Howell and her mission.

Over the next two months, Howell and her staff would distribute over 26,000 meals, working as many as 15 hours a day. They also gathered supplies like work gloves, generators, canned food, and other items and gave them out when needed.

Despite the overwhelming demands on her time and resources, Howell refused to let anyone fall through the cracks. With the help of a friend who lives in Raleigh, Howell was able to put some of the displaced people in hotel rooms and AirBnBs.

As the community continues to rebuild and as priorities shift, Howell is still committed to supporting her neighbors as best she can, focusing on specific needs as they arise. Through her network of friends, Howell connects those in need with the right resources and people.

“I’ve not done much compared to others, and it wasn’t just me,” Howell said. “But what we did do, we done it just because we gave a damn.”

Photo submitted

Kristin Howell was instrumental in making sure those in the community were fed in the first few days and became an integral part of making sure needs were met.

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High Country Hurricane Hero: Zac Miller

By Nathan Ham

Zac Miller took over his father’s electrical business four years ago and has been involved in the trade for most of his life. The Lansing resident used more than his electrical knowledge to help community members in the days following Hurricane Helene.

Miller’s house suffered minimal damage, and he was able to get in and out after spending two hours cutting trees up and moving them out of the road. Miller said that he, his brother-in-law Ryan Shepherd, and a few other volunteers took side-by-sides to do welfare checks and cut additional trees out of driveways for people. They also were able to take oxygen tanks and fill them for folks who needed them.

After that, his electrical expertise came in handy.

“Starting that Monday after the storm, I did nothing but hook up generators for probably three weeks for people. Me and Richard Woods coordinated on that together, and we were having people donate a bunch of material to us so that we could hook them up completely for free,” Miller said. “I knew people needed help. When something like that happens, you have to see who needs it.”

Miller said that the National Guard was flying in generators, and he, along with Woods, would take the generators side-by-side to a home that needed them, hook them up, go back to get another generator and

do the same thing at another nearby home. Miller said they spent probably two to three days just in one area of Little Helton hooking generators up.

“We might start out hooking up generators and then end up cutting trees out of the driveway and get there and realize they have no supplies, no nothing. So then we would go to whatever local fire station that we could get to, whether it was Lansing, Creston, Pond Mountain, wherever, we would get them supplies and take it back,”

Miller said.

Miller’s job was made even more difficult by the lack of communication available during that time.

“Cell phones were out, nobody had internet, power, there was no communication whatsoever. That was the hard part because you didn’t know where to go, you didn’t know where to start. You would get to one place and finally a text would come through or somebody would just bump into you,” Miller explained. “Your day might start out with four or five to do, and with no communication, you would end up with 10. Then you might get home, and your phone would be flooded with 25 text messages and 30 voicemails.”

Reflecting on the whole situation, Miller said he hadn’t really spent a lot of time thinking about everything that had happened. He was just happy to have been able to help the community and the people who were struggling at the time.

Area wood carver receives an abundance of support

By Christian Gardner Area craftsman,

woodcarver, and Crossnore resident Stringham Stringham was one of many who Hurricane Helene heavily impacted as the storm made its way through the High Country.

Stringham was at his home when the storm rolled into town on Friday, Sept. 27. Stringham’s shop was at a location that many locals recall had previously housed Quincy’s Produce Stand, off Hwy 221. Stringham explained he stayed up all night constantly checking water levels weary of nearby Mill Timber Creek rising to the shop.

“When I got up the last time, it was 7:30 a.m., and the water was already high,” Stringham explained. “I went back in the house, and something hit our trailer. It was our fence, which was hit by some logs. It was then my wife said, ‘We have to move,’ and I agreed.”

Although Stringham described himself as “in a daze” at the time, he scrambled to grab some chainsaws and such from his shop, in which the water level was already to its floor. Water then quickly rose to waist level.

“I was putting what I could grab in the bed of my truck, and it hit me that I had a box of pictures I wanted to grab inside,” Stringham said. “I got about 30 feet inside the building, and it was like someone yelled in my ear to ‘get out of that building.’ It startled me, I turned around, and about that time, the water pushed me under. I hit a saw and grabbed the handle of it. Luckily, it was heavy enough I was able to push up and get up, take three steps, and it was the weirdest thing in the world because the water grabbed me and took me under, and shot me by my bench, and right out into the parking lot. I got up, got in my truck, and all of a sudden, the building began floating down the stream.”

Stringham explained that a short time after the building was washed away, a tree then fell and demolished the structure, as he witnessed books, tools and his son’s appliances washing away. Stringham and family worked to get out of harm’s way and made it back to his home, where the water quickly rose to and began flooding his basement.

“We sat there and it kept coming up (water), and all I could think to do was leave the truck and make our way

up the mountain,” Stringham explained.

Stringham explained he spent three days walking up and down the river, finding his belongings while wearing a pair of “flip flops” since his boots were also washed away. Shortly after that time, Stringham knew he needed to start working, and after hearing that places had begun opening for food and supplies, he and his wife began their plan for survival. One of the places he visited was the shop of Newland Mayor Derek Roberts on Millers Gap Highway.

“Aside from food, we needed gas and stuff for the generator,” said Stringham.

After speaking with Roberts, he was quickly helped by Roberts and many others with gathering new tools.

“Roberts called me a few days after visiting the first time and said he has a guy there who wanted to meet me, and that’s when Mark came along,” said Stringham.

Stringham explained that a man named Mark Huck quickly jumped into action to help Stringham get new tools and supplies.

While Stringham was working around his property to restore his home, Huck and Roberts were working on a plan behind the scenes. After several days, Roberts called Stringham and asked if he had a place to put a building. Huck reached back out to Stringham and told him he had the option to provide the craftsman a totally new shop for him to work out of.

“I got choked up big time. I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had someone treat me that way, you know?” said Stringham. “He said, ‘We’re gonna give you a 30x40 building. It’ll have electrical, with ceiling, R30 insulation,’ and he goes, ‘We’ll leave enough money for you to pour concrete and finish up the walls, do everything you need to get it up and fully operational. We’ll be there on the 14th. I went out there and measured the area, and, oddly enough, it wasn’t going to fit.”

Stringham explained he went to a local company to get some dirt and asked for credit to get enough dirt to prepare the spot for the new building.

Stringham received a call from Casey Hollifield not long after, telling Stringham that his buddy with that company was going to help him out. Stringham shared that several

different people he ran into were “all hands on deck” to help him, including Hollifield and Sam Storey, who donated some logs to give him some supplies to get back to carving. Stringham also explained that getting enough dirt for his new building was going to be an uphill battle, which many came together to help haul. Storey and another individual known only as “Jason” helped haul several loads of dirt. Rick Pittman assisted and began to haul as well.

“They hauled over 23 tandem semi-loads of dirt to my shop to make it possible to build,” Stringham recalled.

After the area was ready, Huck and the crew showed up to build.

“They hadn’t planned it out or anything, but they put that building up so fast, it was incredible,” said Stringham. Stringham explained he gave each person who helped him to recover by building a bear carving as a small token of appreciation.

“It was so amazing to see the kind of support people were willing to give me. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was amazing to see the Lord bless me and so many others like he did,” said Stringham. “While this stuff was going on, I was by myself trying to get my generator started and was just struggling. I couldn’t get it started. I broke down and cried. I prayed and said, ‘Lord, I know you’re there. Let me know you love me.” Within that week, I had five different people come up to me that week, and said, ‘I have some money for you from the Lord; He wants you to know He loves you.”

Stringham grew up in central Florida and carved his first bear under his father’s supervision when he was 14 years old. It wasn’t until 2005 that Stringham started carving professionally when he and his family moved to the West Coast. Stringham has been in Crossnore for several years carving and plans to be back fully operational in the near future after receiving the help he has from locals and so many others.

“We just need to remind each other that the Lord loves us all. It’s made such a difference in my life between me giving up and not giving up,” said Stringham. “There’s some great people out there. From the very beginning, people have been willing to help, and it’s just been a true blessing.”

Photo submitted

Jerry Stringham’s new 30x40 shop.

Photo submitted

The group from Ohio that Mark Huck brought to help build the new shop. Newland Mayor Derek Roberts is pictured in the far right.

Photo submitted

The crew from Ohio who worked building Stringham’s new shop.

Being the church in a time of crisis

By Luke Barber

Times of crisis can be a time for transformation. This sentiment has been especially true for local churches in the area, as many transformed themselves inside out to respond to their congregations and the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

At Cornerstone Summit Church in Boone, the church’s sanctuary looked markedly different than it did just before the storm. What was once a worship space fit for the 20-year-old non-denominational congregation became a distribution center for food and supplies to those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“We would rather have a church full of supplies and figure out where to have church than to have good church and not supply the community,” said Reggie Hunt, the lead pastor at Cornerstone Summit.

April Wilkinson, the resource coordinator for Cornerstone Summit Church, said that since Hurricane Helene hit, the church has been flooded with donations from Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina and other parts of the country.

Wilkinson said the church has completed more than 100 deliveries to eight counties, including Virginia and Tennessee, just weeks after the storm. Donations were delivered to sites in rural areas, such as local churches and fire departments, which have more access to remote areas that were cut off.

She said one drop-off point at the Roses in Burnsville was equipped with dozens of ATVs and four-wheelers to move supplies to the most remote regions of Yancey County. As the work progressed, Wilkinson said the operation became increasingly efficient at getting food, water, and other supplies to areas in need.

Seth Norris, the lead pastor at Perkinsville Baptist Church, said his church’s efforts included transporting generators to homes without power via ATVs and side-by-sides.

Norris is also the chief of the Deep Gap Fire Department and an Army veteran with experience in civil affairs, psychological operations, and

as a chaplain. Having worked in emergency management for much of his career, he says the church has a special place when it comes to responding to natural disasters.

“Disasters start local, and they end local,” Norris said. “The church has staying power. I’m thankful for FEMA and all the resources that are coming at us from the state and the feds, but the local church is the only thing that has staying power in communities. It’s ours no matter how long it takes.”

Perkinsville Church was also a host site for Baptists on Mission, which responds to human and spiritual needs through 19 different ministries, including disaster response. Norris said he saw hundreds of volunteers respond locally through the organization.

Norris said recovery after Hurricane Helene will take time, hard work, and spiritual guidance as people grapple with the storm’s sudden changes. Norris refers to this practice as “applied theology.”

“People are resilient when they find a community, and the biggest thing we can offer is community. Tragedy is not foreign to God. The entire gospel is built on a tragedy that brings about hope,” Norris said.

With the power out, many in the community were in need of generators. Members of First Presbyterian of Boone and community volunteers worked with Water MIssion to build and distribute hundreds of generators to families without power in the first two weeks following Hurricane Helene.

The church began with 30 volunteers on Sept. 30, but quickly neared 300 in the following days as they worked to assemble hundreds of generators. Not only did the church supply generators for power, but they also contracted work with three local electricians who agreed to install transfer switches in homes so that the generators could be hooked up to a home breaker box that can help pump in well water and power up essential items in the home.

In the aftermath of the storm, Alliance Bible Fellowship partnered with Samaritan’s Purse to begin sending volunteers to

areas impacted by the storm. Due to road washouts and general inaccessibility, some volunteers filled backpacks full of supplies and hiked them to those who were cut off.

Michael Talley, discipleship pastor with Alliance Bible Fellowship, said much of the volunteer work focused on people whose homes were impacted by the storm.

Talley said that through Samaritan’s Purse’s extensive network of volunteers, people were coming in from across the country to help with the cleanup effort. The church also helped house the overnight volunteers.

“We want to be able to mobilize people to meet the need,” Mike Shellman, outreach and assimilation pastor with ABF, said. “We’ll feed them, and they’ll bring food with them when they go out to people in the community.”

The Rock Church in Boone also helped respond to the needs of volunteers at Alliance Bible Fellowship and Samaritan’s Purse through its Soul Food ministry.

Pastor Michael Gragg of The Rock Boone said the opportunity to serve began by contacting one of the church’s childcare ministry members. Fortunately, Gragg said one of the things The Rock does is “feed people well.”

“We went from expecting to be out there one or two days to being able to send volunteers out there for the whole week,” Gragg said. “We have good relationships with a lot of churches here in the High Country. We try to come together and work together because we know this has impacted our entire community. We want to make sure that we’re able to meet the needs of the High Country. There are thousands of volunteers up here serving.”

For more information on Cornerstone Summit Church, The Rock Church, Alliance Bible Fellowship, First Presbyterian Boone and Perkinsville Church, visit cornerstonesummit.org, therockboone.church, abfboone. com, www.firstpresboone.org and perkinsville.org.

To get involved with Baptists on Mission, visit baptistsonmission.org.

Photo courtesy Lauren Borer Donations sitting packed up and ready to go.

Photo by Luke Barber

At Cornerstone Summit Church in Boone, the inside of the church looks markedly different from just two weeks ago. What was once a worship space fit for the 20-year-old non-denominational congregation has become a distribution center to provide food and supplies to those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Photo by Luke Barber

The donation drop-off station was at Cornerstone Summit Church.

Photo by Luke Barber Cases upon cases of water sit ready to be shipped outside of Cornerstone Summit Church in Boone.

Photo courtesy Lauren Borer

A donation with a special message.

High Country Hurricane Hero: Chetola Resort

By Nick Fogleman

The Chetola Resort is named after the Cherokee word for “haven of rest.” The resort has been a fixture of the community for more than 100 years, and in the aftermath of Helene, Chetola stayed true to its name and history of health and healing.

In the weeks after the storm, Chetola housed over 100 individuals throughout its property, providing welcome relief to those displaced by the storm and comfortable conditions to those assisting with the recovery.

Emergency workers, from electric workers repairing power lines, emergency response teams providing life-saving support, sheriff departments providing assistance to local law enforcement, and doctors and nurses assisting with medical needs in the area, were housed throughout their 50 hotel rooms and 82 condos.

Emergency vehicles lined the parking lot each night before making their way out to assist with recovery each day.

“Electric trucks were lined up all

Chetola also housed individuals and families displaced by the storm.

Owner Warren Cathcart worked with organizations housing people at the ASU Convocation Center to coordinate their efforts.

“Our owner was very proactive,”

Dave Umlah, Director of Sales and Marketing, said. “We opened everything up, even our event spaces. So just about every spot in the hotel was open to people.”

As the staff worked to create a comfortable atmosphere for their new guests, they also contributed to recovery efforts throughout the area. The Chetola maintenance crew cut through fallen trees and repaired homes and other properties throughout the region, and the resort created a volunteer list where people could sign up to assist recovery efforts however they could.

“They were sent wherever they were needed,” Newton said. “Our maintenance staff was incredible.”

through the parking lots,” employee Marci Newton said.

Photo submitted

Powerline trucks wrapped around Chetola Lake in Blowing Rock as far as the eye could see in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

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High Country Hurricane Heroes: Riverside Elementary School faculty and staff

By Whitney Phillips, RES Principal

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Riverside Elementary School’s teachers and staff took immediate action and displayed extraordinary dedication, love, and sacrifice, becoming true beacons of hope in the community. Despite personal losses, these educators set aside their own challenges to focus on helping students, families, and neighbors during this devastating time.

Phoebe Fisher, Melinda McKinney, Kelly Byrd, and Whitney Phillips worked to gather and distribute food from the cafeteria’s dry storage to the community shelter at Temple Baptist Church, ensuring hot meals were available for those in need. Byrd and McKinney worked at Temple Baptist at the community shelter supporting local families in need from day one after the flood.

According to RES Principal Whitney Phillips, every classroom teacher and staff member at Riverside Elementary played a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of students and their families following Hurricane Helene. They worked to locate, contact, and check in on each family, offering a compassionate ear and a helping hand. Staff assisted in calling, texting, visiting, or using whatever means it took to ensure all students and their families were accounted for. Through these efforts, teachers identified specific needs — whether food, clothing, or essential supplies— and worked together to meet them. Their dedication exemplified the true meaning of community and care, ensuring no family was left unsupported during this challenging time. Riverside Elementary did not start as a distribution location; however. Due to the level of need, flood damage at nearby Green Valley Fire

Department, and search and rescue efforts, the need for supplies to be located somewhere close by became a concern. As a result, supplies began arriving four days after the flood. Moun tain River Family Campground, locals who own a campground in the community, had evacuated to Riverside Elementary and began sorting and organizing supplies and donations.

Once RES staff could get to the building due to the bridge being out at Green Valley Fire Department on Hwy. 19E, they began pouring in to assist. Regina Tipton, staff members Martha McCollum, Hayley Cook, Hope Peterson, Lily Moore, Jonathan Dellinger, and Debra Summers, and many others joined daily efforts to unload, sort and distribute supplies generously donated by local organizations, businesses, churches, and individuals. They worked tirelessly to serve the community and to make sure that everyone’s most basic needs were being met, no matter the time or day.

In a remarkable display of teamwork, four teams of staff members

packed and delivered family meal kits and necessities directly to students’ homes.

In addition to the aforementioned team members, Bo Manis and his wife Rhiannon assisted in delivering to families for days.

On the first deliveries and well-check visits, food and supplies were transported via vehicles, ATVs, and side-by-sides to get to families, as a number of neighbors still did not have a way to access their driveways.

The following week, the 82nd Airborne Division lent their support. They arrived at Riverside and were willing to do anything needed. They assisted with unloading supplies, sorting supplies, and delivering another round of family meal boxes. The partnership with Mountain River Family Campground, which had suffered devastating losses, also brought joy to children in the form of toys, books, and board games. With the help of Suzanne and her family, every child at Riverside Elementary received a personalized tote bag of gifts, delivered alongside meal boxes, with the 82nd Airborne Division escorting the teams in their military

vehicles. Students were thrilled to meet these servicemen and women and explore their new army trucks.

Once the date was announced that the school would return on Nov. 6, the RES team decided that a solution was needed to meet the needs of Riverside families in the months to come, as the effects of this devastation would be long-term. Therefore, a partnership was formed with community agencies and Riverside PTO to purchase a storage building, setting up a mini supply center to give families access to these supplies and necessities as they need them. Families come in and shop during the school day, or they are allowed to send a list, and the staff will shop for them. The management of this supply center requires many hands and is ongoing. Staff continue to step up to the daunting tasks ahead of them to once again meet the varying needs of students and their families.

These are just a few of the many stories that showcase the unwavering spirit of Riverside’s teachers and the strength of a community united. Many staff members who could not make it to the Riverside community to volunteer dedicated their time and efforts to serving in their own churches or in supply centers closer to their homes. Regardless, the staff truly showed what it means to love those around them.

“Their actions reflect the heart of education: not just teaching, but nurturing and supporting every child and family, no matter the circumstances,” Phillips said of the team at RES. “Riverside Elementary’s staff are more than teachers—they are heroes. I could not be more proud or blessed to be part of such an amazing team.”

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools

RES Principal Whitney Phillips and Hayley Cook share a smile during trying times in the community in the aftermath of Helene, as school faculty and staff mobilized to provide for the needs of the Green Valley area.

Photo courtesy Avery County Schools

Riverside Elementary School gymnasium was used as a supply collection point and distribution center due to many efforts from faculty and staff to serve the community during Helene.

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Photo by Christian Gardner

Photo by Shelia Reed Photography

Photo by Moss Brennan

Watauga Emergency Services

Hurricane Response List

The following are emergency services personnel who worked during the hurricane in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. These lists do not reflect everyone who responded for the three counties, but includes as many as possible.

Boone Fire Department

Jimmy Isaacs, Claiborne Beattie, Benjamin Blackburn, John Brown, Kent Brown, Jacob Burleson, William Byers, Matthew Clark, Jereme Daniels, Michael Dick, John Edmisten, Amy Flieg, Daniel Fricker, Isaac Garland, James Garnier, Jacob Hardin, Kyle Hassler, Mike Hicks, Daniel Ingwersen, Matthew Krause, Adam Lentz, Christopher Lyerly, Christopher Maher, Tucker McElrath, Tyler McNeil, Chris Miller, Michael Miller, Aidan Sawyer, Frank Sherman, Mike Snider, Robert Taylor, Michael Teague, Anthony Terenzio, Robert Walker, Michael Welch, Aaron Wilson.

Blowing Rock Fire Department/ Emergency Services

Kent L. Graham, Matthew McGuire, Logan Anderson, Carson Bates, Daniel De La Cerda, Matt Fontaine, Jonathan Hodges, Jacob Houck, Luke Key, Josh Price, Steven Alex Price, Hayden Robbins, Jason Roten, Stuart Scott, Keith Severt, Jonah Sherrill, Grant Whitfield, Colby Whitt.

Beaver Dam Volunteer Fire Department

Terry Guy, John Oxentine, Shane Robbins, Charles Gilliam, Justin Carver, Aaron Johnson, Ayla Tipton, Angie Houck, Carlson Tester, Colton Wilson, Connor Gregg, Floyd Hicks, Paul Ward, Richard Carter, Jacob Gilliam.

Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department

Bob Pudney, Riley Hatch, Brett Alge, Mike Bonestell, Jim Brooks, Kevin Carr, Calvin Cole, Aaron Cox, Dee Desmarais, Bob Elliott, Sarah Garvick, Jan Holland, Tim Holland, Al Hubbard, Luke Lychmanenko, Kevin Norris, Patrick O’Neal Jr., Burgess Perry, Conrad Poe, Miles Rice, Dean Roberts, Tucker Rosenbusch, Wendel Sauer, Chris Sahvce, Tracy Simms, Ethan Suddreth, Paul Tavilla, Eric Thomas, Janet Villanova, John Whitener.

Cove Creek Volunteer Fire Department

Steve Marks, Ken Anderson, Aaron Banner, Will Boone, Laramie Combs, Terry Combs, John Fabiszewski, Charles Gilliam, Jacob Gilliam, Stephen Hampton, Mike Hicks, Steve Hikes, Anthony Jones, Barbara Jones, Ron Longchamps, Jessica Lup, Patrick Maxey, Joe Mitchell, DOminic Pengjad, JR Presnell, Phil Presnell, Daniel Rattler, Autumn Scott, Paul Scott, Shana Scott, Dawson Speagle, Christy Taylor, Justin Warren, Grant Whitfield, George Young.

Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department

Seth Norris, Emily Baldwin, Moss Brennan, Kacey Brown, William Byers, Jamie Dunn III, Jonathan Greer, Emily Hamby, Nate Henries, Jonathan Hodges, Aaron Lincoln, David Luther, Chris Maher, James Ninnis, Megan Ninnis, Eric Sapp, Brantley Taylor, Victoria Watson, Moses White.

Foscoe Volunteer Fire Department

Matt Aldridge, Frank Aldridge, Dasha Battle, Ryan Blacka, Brian Bumgarner, Frank Bumgarner, Wayne Clookie, Aaron Cook, Hunter Corriher, Allie Couch, Bill Flesher, Phillip Malcolm, Angus McDiarmid, John Mckethan, Chip Norwood, Richard Pastusic, Brandon Presnell, Kelly Redmon, Ed Shuford, Eli Simms, Mason Skipper, Alex Sliz, Landan Stahl, John Sterling, Bill Taylor, Terry Townsend, Chris Wainscott, George Wright.

Meat Camp Volunteer Fire Department

Ben Winebarger, Buddy Adisey, Jason Beach, Jaydon Byerly, Bill Conrad, Shelby Evans, Timothy Evans, Hannah Glass, Hailey Harmon, Tim Holman, Lee Jones, Connor Joyce, Ryan Keller, Nick Luna, Lesley Marsh, Taylor Marsh, Jason Miller, Bradley Moretz, Darren Moretz, Jacob Moretz, James Moretz, John Moretz, Garrett Norris, Josh Norris, Kevin Norris, Ashley Parsons, Chris Potter, Will Reid, Joey Sexton, Kelly Sexton, Stephen Sisley, Amy Snider, Mike Snider, Hunter Sturgill, Clay Townsend, Bryce Walker, Buck Ward, Aaron Wilson, Pete Wilson, Doug Winebarger, Neal Winebarger, Trenten Winebarger, Caleb Winkler, Tyler Winkler.

Stewart Simmons Volunteer Fire Department

Billana Berry, Brittany Berry, Chris Bicking, Chris Schmidt, Craig Duncan, Daniel Stark, David Hinnant, David Smith, Doug Berry, Dustin Hicks, Jana Smith, Joe Sultana, John Unmack, Kenny Kuhn, Keron Poteat, Matt Wacenske, Mike Young, Rory Mcilmoil, Shelly Kamp, Susie Childers, Terran Berry, Tierra Stark, Tony Porter, Tony Ulintz, Wayne Childers.

Shawneehaw Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary

Gary Rupard, Woody Clayton, Bill Cook, Lang Crutchfield, Ryan Henson, Randy Horney, Chris Mastin, Cindy Patton, Jed Patton, Cody Rominger, Carolyn Rupard, Chadley Rupard, Hannah Rupard, Travis Rupard, Vanessa Rupard, Michele Trivette, Wanda Yates, Kristi Cook, Tiffany Reece, Chasity Mastin, Sara Milam.

Seven Devils Volunteer Fire Department

Matthew Millsaps, Johnathan Harris, AJ Burnette, Tom Bookstaver, Ed Beck, Marino Fernandez, Richard Blonshine, Chris McBee, Forrest Byron, Jim West, Warren Brendle.

Todd Fire Volunteer Department and Auxiliary

Bryan Bouboulis, Mike Hambourger, Hunter Gaddy, Kelly McCoy, Laura Swanson, Leander Hutton, Alex Bouboulis, William Bouboulis, Matt Boulanger, Kylie Miller, Joey Miller, Jennifer Danner, Hunter “Britton” Gaddy, Jr, Channa Ring, Randy Ring, Geoff Swanson, Hayden

Gaddy (Jr member), Hannah Ring (Jr Member), Jeanne Norris, Kim Flieth, Eric Danner.

Zionville

Volunteer Fire Department

Ross Rominger, Zach Cook, Angela Bowen, Ronnie Harmon, Collin Thomas, Matt Ragan, Allen Ellis, Donald Miller, Amy Miller, Justin Rominger, Jerry Hunter, Connor Isaacs, Travis Isaacs, Jim Reece, Michael Hall, Alan Phillips, Donavan Little.

Watauga County Rescue Squad

Garrett Norris, Nate McCoy, Zack McQuilling, Shaine Middleton, Ryan Lloyd, Russ Hiatt, Ben Stoneking, Amanda Kincaid, Zoe Foster, Moss Brennan, Taylor Marsh, Suni Desilva, Randall Townsend, Bill Conrad, Steve LaPointe, Bill Moore, Natalia Shalash, Jackson Lamb, Joe Miller, Gary Harmon, Kay Durfor, George Durfor.

Watauga County Emergency Services

Will Holt, Shane Garland, Kristi Pukansky, Mike Snider, Taylor Beach, Gabriela Bravo, Michael Darnell, Hannah Davis, Jeffrey Gainey, Kat Greer, Melissa Harmon, Koby Hatton, Vlad Hurmuzachii, Daniel Medlin, Paul Payne, Heather Ragan, Karry Reinke, Penny Roark, Barbara Ross, Katelyn Roy, Heather Tomlinson, Aaron Ward, Cody Skeen, Kyle Hassler.

NC Forest Service

Andrew Harsey and Jamie Dunn

Watauga County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Hagaman, Major Kelly Redmon, Capt. Carolynn Johnson, Capt. Preston Russell, Capt. Brian Bumgarner, Lt. Jon Fullen, Lt. Darrick Woody, Lt. Casey Miller, Lt. Carl Hicks, Lt. Toby Ragan, Lt. Seth Morrison-SRO, Sgt. Lucas Smith, Detective Matt Rollins, Detective Todd Arnette, Detective Terry Julian, Det. William Watson, Sgt. Jack Greene, Det. Nathaniel Calvert, Sgt. Aaron Watson, Sgt. Cameron Taylor, Deputy Gracie Brown, Deputy Kyle Gambill, Sgt. Paul Scott, Deputy Austin Phillips, Deputy Daniel Autrey, Deputy Andrew Smith-SRO, Deputy Cody Brown, Sgt. Emily Macpherson, Deputy Rebecca Russell, Deputy Tanner Mathis, Deputy Gerald Townsend, Deputy Randy Townsend, Deputy Scot Brown-SRO, Deputy Charlie Bradley, Det. Jake Richardson, Deputy Chad McGuire, Deputy Matt Richardson, Deputy Jake Macfarland, Deputy Derick Zamora, Deputy Wes Hawkins, Deputy Tony Marroquin, Deputy Darby Adams, Deputy Sarah Fetterolf, Deputy Caleb Lowrance, Deputy Patrick Anderson, Deputy Holly Swofford-SRO, Deputy James Parker-SRO, Deputy Mark Fleming-SRO, Detective Brian Lyall, Deputy Charles Howard-SRO.

Blowing Rock Police Department and Dispatch

Nathan Kirk, Tanner Byrd, William Byrd, Bobby Canter, Matthew Caudill, Darin Church, Lance Dotson, Thomas Gunnells, Daniel

Harris, Jonathan Hayes, T. Alan II Hunt, Christopher Morales (Dispatch), Casandra Reid (Dispatch), Angela Stewart (Dispatch), Sharon K. Vandyke (Dispatch).

Boone Police Department

Andy Le Beau, Candace Burlingame, Scott Delaney, Daniel Duckworth, Kat Eller, Carlos Escobar, Daniel Fritzler, Geoff Hayes, Corey Held, Jon Houck, Evan Laws, Dennis O’neal, Calli Tarallo, William Van Lentin, Lance Wills, Caleb Shue, Anthony Johnson, Luke Staley, David Osborne, Bobby Creed, Jake Harkey, Aaron Karr, Joe Knapp, Jason Reid, Miranda Bowen, Brandon Harris, Blake Norvell, Kenny Prevost, Bailey Walker, James Lyall.

App State Police Department and Emergency Management

Tina Johnstone, Richard Greene, Kevin Wilson, Joey Sexton, Jason Beebe, Patrick Paschal, Morgan Sumner, Bayley Plummer, Petey Hausley, Kylie Broschinski, Christopher Shew, Brenda Espinoza-Rodriguez, Edward Hodges, Ryan Schweitzer, Trae Wolfe, Trey Stevens, Jason Marshburn, Debi Trivette, Frank Sherman, Stephen Ayscue, Emily Autry.

Seven Devils Police Department

Cody Fields, Stephen Petty, Kent Howell, Racion Rouse, Dalton Vines

Beech Mountain Police Department

Tim Barnett, Gary Miller, Tyler Jones, Dustin Beam, Jeremy Franklin, Elihue Wright, Zachary Potter, Todd Sherwood, Donald Abbott, Logan Moran, David Davis, Anita Presnell, Isaiah Courtner, Jennifer Smith, Cole Hughes.

Appalachian State Mountaineer Medics

Scottie Huger, Courtney Brown, Brody Greene, Sydney Hudson, Leya Bickell, Emily Bjerregaard, Yana Chumunevich, Raina Duggal, Will Dwiggins, Eli Fitzgerald, Connor Flannery, Matthew Flynn, Ashlyn Goodwin, Alexander Higdon, Avery Hodgson, Jon Luke Horne, Ethan Kersten, Ryan Lloyd, Kimberly Mai, Brandon Miller, Michael Navejas, Stefan Pearl, Cadell Perry, Maggie Phariss, Parker Rosenblatt, Jesse Sawyer, Logan Seiler, Sid Sherrill, Owen Troxell, Molly Watson.

Watauga Medics Inc.

Greg Bryant, Brad Chenausky, Dalton Hunt, Brittnay Johnson, Shaylan McGuire, (Key) Lanness McKee, Kevin Norris, Conrad Poe, Angela Seeley, Brianna Seeley, Preston Shell, Randy Smith, Craig Sullivan, Cindy Sullivan, Anna Yelton, Kurt Kaunath, Ryan Kissel, Alyssa Nucklos, Kaylyn Osborne, Jordan Honeycutt, Hannah Buchanan, Adam Cleary, Ryan Devitt, Mikayla Henson, Micheal Pray, Vernica Shelton, Anthony Woodard, Haley Bare, Emmalee Carver, Josiah Davis, Nathan Luckas, Jerry Reedy, Jacob Starnes, Courtney Miller, Scott Pritchard, Suni Desilva, Lena Kilby, Jonathan Greer.

Avery Emergency Services Hurricane Response List

Emergency Management

Paul Buchanan (Avery County Emergency Management), Jeff Thompson (Emergency Management) and Rich Carpenter (NC Forest Service).

Fire Chiefs

Levin Sudderth (Avery County Ladder Company), Tyler Burr (Banner Elk Volunteer Fire and Rescue), Bob Pudney (Beech Mountain Fire Department), Jeffery Pollard (Crossnore Fire Department), Mike Ellenburg (Elk Park Fire Department), Michael Richardson (Fall Creek Fire Department), Johnny Mathes (Frank Fire Department), Kenny McFee (Green Valley Fire Department), Mark Taylor (Linville Fire Department), Rob Calloway (Linville-Central Rescue Squad), Colby Benfield (Newland Fire Department) and Matthew Millsaps (Seven Devils Public Safety).

Avery County Fire Commission

Brian Ledford, Teddy Thomas, Cory Hoyes, Dustin Rupard, Kasey Hughes, Joel Buchanana, Nicolas Aguilar, Ben

Iscaas, Cody Laws, Tony Terenzio, Steve Carver, Mike Laws, Dylen Markland, Shawn Queen, Michael Richardson, Dean Gibbs, Tyler Burleson, Stephen McClellan, Tracy Cox, Johnny Mathes, Kaden Mills, Mikey Laws, Gallie Calloway and Garrett Stonesifer.

Avery County Sheriff’s Office

Mike Henley (Sheriff), Van Williams (Chief Deputy), Marc Sharpe (Chief Detective), Frank Catalano (Lieutenant), Mike Watson (Captain, Patrol) and Karen Carver (Sheriff’s Executive Administrator), Sgt. Shawn Turbyfill, Sgt. I.B. Aldridge, Deputy Kevin Gardner, Deputy David Killion, Deputy Daniel Dellinger, Deputy Caleb Hicks, Deputy Steven Queen, Deputy Scott Ahneman, Deputy Cyle Hicks, Deputy S. Woody, Corporal Tim Winters, Deputy Natalie Cook, Deputy Larry Moore and Deputy Jeff Smith, Detective Bob Garbett, Detective Tim Austin, Detective Casey Lee (K-9/Narcotics), Detective Ridge Phillips (Narcotics/ Courts), Deputy Greg Dills (Bailiff), Deputy Bob Bauer (Bailiff), Tracey Buchanan (Administrator), Lieutenant

Mike Laws, Lieutenant Tim Franklin, Lauren Mauney (Administrative Assistant).

Avery County Communications:

Mike Edmisten (Emergency Communications Director), Brandy Holden (Asst. Emergency Communications Director).

Avery County Chiefs of Police:

Kevin Hodges (Banner Elk), Jack McCloud (Elk Park), Michael Fields (Newland), Johnathan Harris (Seven Devils), Tim Barnett (Beech Mountain), Casey Turbyfill (Sugar Mountain).

Avery EMS & Communications Staff:

Jessica Abbott, Emily Austin, Alexandria Bare, Kitina Calhoun, Nathaniel Calvert, Courtney Clark, Marty Dellinger, Aliyah Durham, Michael L Edmisten, Kimble Harrison, Karen Laws, Rebecca Moody, Amber Moore, Brandy Ross, Samantha Thompson, Emily Turbyfill, Jena Vance.

Ashe Emergency Services Hurricane Response List

Ashe County Emergency Management Coordinator:

Patty Gambill and Josh Steelman (fire marshal)

Ashe County Rescue Squad:

Charles Weaver, Chrissy Walton, Debbie Poe, Jason Cline, Linda Cline, Micheal Roberts, Nathaniel Gilbert, Ray Clauson, Robert Poe, and Terry Jordan.

Fleetwood Volunteer Fire & Rescue:

Abi McGuire, Ahston Craven, Alex Church, Andruw Winebarger, Bartt Winebarger, Brandon Lemly, Brett Winebarger, Byron Lemly, Dalton Winebarger, Darren Edwards, Dominic Stocco, Eric Davis, Eric Miller, Ethan Norris, Ian Blevins, James Dunn, James Latham, Jillion Davis, John Latham, Jordan Miller, Keaton Craven, Matt Treva, Michael Roberts, Randall Latham, Richard Moser, Robert Greer, Sam Shepherd, Scott Jordan, Steve Brown, Steve Craven, Thomas Ray, Tim Russell, Todd Call, Trey Young, Van Cranford, Vickie Winebarger, and Victoria Kastl.

Glendale Springs Volunteer Fire Department:

Andrew Cox, Ava Cox, Billy McNeil, Burt Prange, Carol McNeil, Cody Lyons, Craig Miller, Darlene Builte, David Miller, Dustin Dixon, Eric Hamilton, Greg Chatham, Greg Poe, Hunter Peyton, Jackie Chatham, Joe Slate, Josh Poe, Justin McNeil, Larry Builte, Laura Cox, Leah Cox, Lorrie Poe, Rick Dent, Ronnie Miller Jr., Sandra Prange, Shawn Bennett, Steven Severt, Tiffany McNeil, Tracy Luther, and Wayland Cox.

Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department:

Assistant Chief Donnie Miller, Cameron Poe, Chief Dane Absher, Cody Blevins, Cpt. Cheyenne Miller, Dakota Miller, David McNeill, Jeffrey Main, Joe Taylor, and Rex Burgess.

Lansing Volunteer Fire & Rescue:

Assistant Chief Anthony Richardson, Assistant Chief Donald Sykes, Becky McCoy, Becky Venable, Bryan Matkins, Chad Blevins, Chief Jeff Venable, Christy Matkins, Christina McCoy, Cliff McCoy, Derek Golds, Dennis Robinson, Jason Billings, Jeff Key, Jeff Walters, Josh Taylor, Kathy Elliott, Levi Lewis, Linda Powers, Mark Nettles, Micheal Blevins, Mike Hart, Nick Elliott, Paula Fox, Ruth Henson, Shirley Farmer, Tammy Blevins, and Weston Blevins.

Laurel Springs Volunteer Fire Department:

Alissa Reed, Bill Womble, Brandon Guy, Brian Mabe, Cynthia Church, Dewane Bare, Don Mabe, Eric Dancy, Harold Bowlin, Holly Decker, Jeff Mabe, Jessica Mabe, Jimmy Church, Lisa Dancy, Matt Key, Morgan Reed, Scottie Darnell, and Steve Dixon.

New River Volunteer Fire & Rescue:

Barbara McCoy, Becky Porter, Daniel Wayt, David Goss, Eddie Lyons, Forest Davis, Greg Lyons, Jordan Fowler, Josh Steelman, Julia Houck, Justin Phipps, Leonard Houck, Luke Rupard, Randy Porter, Rita Phipps, Rita Porter, Russell Houck, Shannon Worley, Tom Porter, and Tracie Worley.

Pond Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue:

Warrensville Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Creston Volunteer Fire Department

West

Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department:

Assistant Chief Jody Walters, Buddy Hedgspeth, Captain Josh Walters, Captain Matt Lambert, Chief Eric Miller, Chris McNeil, Chase Royal, David Hart, Dominique Maxwell, Issac Osborne, James Ellis, Jeremy Marsh, Josh Gouge, Keith Hartzog, Mark McNeil, Mark McNeil Jr., Michael Houck, Scott Osborne, and Tommy Royal.

Warrensville Volunteer Fire & Rescue:

Pond Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue, and Creston Volunteer Fire Department.

Ashe County Sheriff’s Office:

Bodie Miller, Brandon Wingler, Brian Blanco, Chase Baldwin, Chief Deputy Danny Houck, Chris Greene, Cody Call, Cody Dancy, Courtney Sawyer, Curtis Elliott, Daniel Cox, Dusty Farmer, Greg Schneider, Jacob Bledsoe, Jacob Pruitt, Jacob Shepherd, James Lanier, Jennifer DeSpain, Jeremy Williams, Joe Francis, John Retezatu, Jon Stout, Jordan Fowler, Joshua Carter, Katelynne Hollandsworth, Lee Johnson, PJ Phillips, Rachael Wood, Randy Lewis, Scott Milam, Sheriff B. Phil Howell, Will Hicks, and Zack Vogler.

Ashe Medics:

Ben Stoneking, Brandon Hardin, Brandon Patrick, Brandy Mitchell, Candace Miller Barker, Charles Weaver, Chris Martin, Cody Dancy, Cody Darnell, Dalton Hunt, Daniel Farmer, Donald Brooks, Ethan Brown, Ethan Todd, Jason Billings, John Barnes, Jonathan Greer, Jonathan Patrick, Josh Walters, Julia Houck, Kanessa Holman, Kinston Broome, Linda Parsons, Lindsey Jenkins, Lucas Roten, Luke Rupard, Mark Worley, Nate McCoy, Natasha Hunt, Nevin Dowty, Paul Raiche, Randy Black, Randy Porter, Ricky Roark, Russell Houck, Rusty Zachary, Ryan Kissel, Stephanie Cox, Steve Adams, Stormi Dillard, Thomas Jones, Tristian Roos, and Whitney Killen.

West Jefferson Police Department:

Chief Brad Jordan, Detective Matt Dillard, and Sergeant John Muldowney.

Jefferson Police Department:

Andy Toliver, Ben Hartsoe, Brandon Shepherd, and Ryan Shepherd.

NC Forest Service:

Anthony Farmer, David Goss, David Huffman, and Luke Hall.

Local Government Hurricane Response List

Ashe County

County employees: Adam Stumb, Monica Allen, Abigail Ambrose, Kevin Anderson, Jeana Arroyo, Brandy Baldwin, Chase Baldwin, Charity Ballou, Cheyenne Barker, Curtis Barker, Heather Barker, Melissa Barr, Michael Barr, Toby Bennett, Jason Billings, Pam Blackburn, Jacob Bledsoe, Michele Blevins, Dollie Boyd, Jeff Boyd, Angela Brooks, Ashley Brown, Chad Brown, Carl Burchette, Greg Calhoun, Cody Call, Chanda Canter, Brian Carson, Josh Carter, Sherry Carter, Cody Chamberlain, Todd Chapman, Amanda Cox, Andrew Cox, Daniel Cox, Josh Cox, Cody Dancy, Daren Davis, Tim Davis, Chris Dollar, Earnie Eldreth, Mike Eldreth, Jeremy Eller, Jacob Evans-Shepherd, Dusty Farmer, Tori Flanagan, Jordan Fowler, Joe Francis, Tasha Francis, Chris Friesland, Emmitt Friesland, Patty Gambill, Belinda Gilley, Matthew Gilley, Jeff Goss, Nicole Gouge, Caroline Green, Brooklyn Greene, Chris Greene, Heather Greene, Randi Greenlee, Alena Greer, Brian Greer, Jordan Greer, Lynn Greer, Maria Ham, Lori Hamm, Chrissy Harris, Hannah Harris, Ethan Hartsoe, Vicky Hartsoe, Eloisa Henderson-Ruiz, Jadia Hileman, Kim Hodge, Regina Holman, Zach Holman, Rodney Hopkins, Brian Houck, Danny Houck, Gerald Houck, Phil Howell, Cyris Hurley, Scott Hurley, Ed Hurst, Lonnie Lee Johnson, Chris Jones, Nancy Jones, Ashley Lambert, Chris Lambert, James Lanier, Andrew Lawing, Matthew Levi, BJ Lewis, Jerry Lewis,

Randy Lewis, Stacie Liddle, Tony Little, Tori Logel, Samanta Lopez, Bob Marsh, Brandon May, Rachall McCoy, Andrew McMillan, Tracie McMillan, Danielle McNeill, James McNeill, Todd McNeill, Brenda Miles, Candice Miles, Amanda Miller, Dalton Bodi Miller, Debbie Miller, Doyle Miller, Heather Miller, Isaac Miller, Michael Miller, Travis Miller, Amanda Olivares, Chuck Olive, Chrissy Osborne, Isaac Patrick, Eric Payne, PJ Phillips, Josh Poe, Torin Potter, Jerry Powers, Jacob Pruitt, Shane Reece, Perla Reyes, Candace Richardson, Robin Richardson, Teresa Richardson, Emma Riley, Angie Ritter, Hayley Ritter, Penny Roark, Rachelle Rodriguez, Karen Roland, Keshea Roland, Sherri Roop, Abigail Royal, Michael Rutherford, William Sands, Greg Schneider, Ken Severt, Andy Sexton, Dana Shatley, Ashley Sheets, Jamie Shepherd, Zoe Shepherd, Mariah Shuler, Montana Stanley, April Steel, Josh Steelman, Laken Steelman, Hannah Stout, Jon Stout, Kelly Surber, Janna Suttle, Alberta Swain, Jimmy Taylor, Joe Testerman, Alyssa Triplett, Angela Trowbridge, Sean Turnmire, Jessica Vogler, Zach Vogler, Kelsey Wagoner, Whitney Ward, Kathy Weaver, Emily Whichard, Andy Widner, Rachel Widner, Jeremy Williams, Laura Williams, Brittany Winebarger, Robbie Winebarger, Brandon Wingler, Lisa Witherspoon and Rachael Wood.

County volunteers: Hillary Carson, Emily Cornett, Josh Johnson, Barbara McCoy, Debbie Poe and John Shepherd.

WEST JEFFERSON

Town Manager: Brantley Price

Maintenance Supervisor and Fire Chief: Eric Miller

Maintenance Department: Josh Miller, Mitch Hash, Ethan Weaver and Damion Arroyo

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators: Brandon Patrick (Operator in Charge), Jody Walters (also Assistant Fire Chief), and Nick Walters.

JEFFERSON

Town Manager: Charity Shatley

Maintenance, administration, and public works team: Terry Miller, Marcus Eldreth, Matt Carson, BJ Howell, Kayla Jones, Nathan Pritchard, Tim Church, David Webb and Carol Edwards.

LANSING

Maintenance Supervisor: Larry Blevins

Town Clerk: Sandy Roten

Mayor: Mack Powers WATAUGA COUNTY BOONE

Town Council Members: Tim Futrelle, Dalton

Local Government Hurricane Response List

George, Edie Tugman, Virginia Roseman, Todd Carter, Eric Plaag.

Administration: Amy Davis, Linda Councill, Nicole Harmon-Church, Lane Moody, Dale Presnell, Laney Wise.

Public Works/Utilities: Todd Moody, Justin Stines, Tom Bolick, Jimmy Boyette, Dan Cook, Justin Dancy, Tyler Dandy, TJ Davis, Scott Greene, Shannon Isaacs, Charlie Johnson, Van Johnson, Brandon Presnell, Stanley Saunders, Alan Tester, Mike Tester, Sheldon Coffey, Adrian Cook, Allen Hodges, Richie Isaacs, John Sluder, Wesley Hayes, Jimmy Hicks, Greg Hollars, Dalton Trivette, Mike Trivette, Ray Presnell, Brian White, Corey Moore, Preston Oliver, Tyler Dillon, Justin Howell, Andrea Church, Seth Miller, Connor Joyce, Kenneth Brown, JD Presnell, Jonathan Lane, Bobby Hicks, Seth Greene, Mark Pennell, Josh Eller, Corey Davis, Bobby Carpenter, Robbie Jones, Jody Prevette, Rudy Broschinski, Daniel Miller, Bryan Miller, Noah Greer, Davion Bryan, John West.

Planning and Inspections: Amy Snider, Stacey Miller, Jane Shook, Brandon Wise, Brenda Henson, Darrell Pulliam, George Santucci, John Helton, Luis Aguilar.

BLOWING ROCK

Town Council Members: Charlie Sellers, Doug Matheson, David Harwood, Melissa Pickett, Pete Gherini, Cat Perry.

Finance/Administration: Shane Fox, Tasha Brown, Cheryl Eggers, Kristy Hayes, Hilari Hubner, Kristen Kirk, Holly Autry, Michele Reece.

Streets: Matt Blackburn, Brian Clark, Christopher R. Geis, Sterling Lewis, Brandon Norris, Steve Norris, Mark J. Presnell, Colton Wilson, JT Isaacs, Timmy Williams.

Parks and Recreation: Jennifer Brown, Hunter Jefferson, Amanda Stout, Rebecca Trivette.

Landscape: Cory Cathcart, Justin Dishman, Roarke Underwood.

Water Plant: John Burwell, Timothy W. Everhart, Trathen Greene, Toby Lee, James Townsend.

Field Operations: Kyle Earp, Hunter Shook, David Watson, Dustin Watson.

Planning and Zoning: Brian Johnson, Taylor Miller, Kevin Rothrock, John Warren.

TDA: Tracy Brown, Lindsay Garcia, Tyler Graves, Amanda Lungenbell.

Chamber: Charles Hardin, Cathy Barker.

SEVEN DEVILS

Town Council Members: Larry Fontaine, Brad Lambert, Wayne Bonomo, Leigh Sasse, Brian Davies.

Finance/Administration:

Johnathan Harris, Helga Sappington, Hillary Gropp.

Police Department: Cody Fields, Stephen Petty, Kent Howell, Racion Rouse, Dalton Vines.

Public Works: Kevin Aldridge, Kevin Russell, Brian Johnson, Josh Hoilman, Joseph Price, Stacy Honeycutt.

Parks and Recreation: Jewel McKinney.

Planning and Zoning: Eddie Barnes.

TDA: Anne Fontaine, Leigh Sasse, Rick Blonshine, Alejandra Fernandez.

BEECH MOUNTAIN

Town Council Members: Weidner Abernethy, Art Beckmann, Alan Villanova, M.W. Stanford.

Public Works/Utilities: Daniel Davis, Matthew Clawson, Chrissy Bonestell, Ashley Browning, David Arnette, James Cradwell, Jacob Caussin, Nate Clawson, John Clawson, David Clawson, Preston Coffey, Robert Conley, Michael Conleyt, Porter Cook, Chandler Cook, Josh Cordell, Charles Frisbee, Thomas Garrett, Robert Guinn, Jonathan

Guinn, Roger Hicks, Danny Horney, Randall Horney, Chase Kirkpatrick, Vincent May, Wyatt May, Ronnie Mckinney, Jonathan Presnell, Charles Rupard, David Street, Michael Thompson, Joseph Townsend, Logan Tripplett, Robert Turbyfill, Robert Tutterow, Clayton Wright.

Administration: Bob Pudney, Destin Filyaw, Armando Garcia, Emily Haynes, Paul Hegner, Kate Gavenus, Caren Peoples, Steve Smith, Rebecca Ward, Alyssa Whitelock, Kelsey Wise, Carol Beckmann, Jane Miller, Jimmy Thomas.

Planning/Inspections: Michael Holland, Shane Johnson, Preston Yates.

Recreation: Matthew Cote, Sean Mcnay, Kate Prisco, James Roberson, Matthew Robinson, Sean Royall, Anthony Walker, Jared Ward, Ethan Woodie.

AVERY COUNTY

County Management: Phillip Barrier (County Manager), Tim Phillips (Chairman), Dennis Aldridge (Vice-Chairman), Woodie Young (Commissioner), Robert Burleson (Commissioner), Martha Hicks (Commissioner), Junior Benfield (Commissioner).

County Support: Melissa Phillips (Mayland Community College and Kathy Khalifa (IT for website).

NEWLAND

Mayor

ELK PARK

BANNER ELK

Mayor

Derek Roberts, Mayor Pro Tem Gail Haller, Aldermen James Johnson, Christie Hughes, Kenan Foxx and Dave Calvert.

Mayor Daniel Boone, Council members Mike Smith, Darlene Hicks, Tony Eller, Alice Whittington and Brad Benfield.

Brenda Lyerly, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Dunn, Council members David Lecka, Charlie B. Voncanon and Robert Tufts.

NCDOT Hurricane Response Personnel

Ashe NCDOT Personnel

April Potter, Anthony Miller, Brandon Lemly, Bruce Lewis, Bryan Matkins, Curtis May, Debora Miller, Derick Douglas, David Eldreth, Dustin Rector, Edward Lyons, James Hodge, Johnny Shatley, Lance Byrd, Mason Price, Michael Greer, Ray Brooks, Rex Roark, Ricky Hamm, Ricky Isaacs, Stephen Brinegar, Steven Farrington, Thomas Cash, Wesley Faircloth, and William Stuart.

Avery NCDOT Personnel

Aaron Buchanan, Benjamin Clark, Christopher Benfield, Danny Steelman, Elizabeth Reid, Jonathan Swicegood, Johnathan Townsend, Kenneth Hughes, Kristopher Vance, Logan Gouge, Michael Shook, Paul Ramsey, and Terry Barnett.

Watauga NCDOT Personnel

Tony Glenn, John Hicks, Byron Lemly, Michael Dancy, Nicholas Rominger, Aaron Myers, Brandon Dotson, Jerome Potter, Steven Jones, Gary Hicks, Travis Townsend, Mark Cook, Phillip Rominger, Timothy Oxentine, Kevin Edmisten, Casey Isaacs, Wade Canter, Carrie Hicks, Joseph Worley, Victor Hamby, and Brandon Farmer.

Other NCODT personnel who worked in the Watauga, Ashe and Avery area:

Larry Allison, Justin Back, Kelly Baker, James Ballinger, Tommy Bays, Sean Beam, Sammy Bevins, Kyle Bidwell, Seth Boggs, Johnny Bohannon, Mike Botner, James Bowens, Eric Bowman, Austin Bradley, Robbie Brown, Josh Brown, Jeremy Brown, James Bryant,

Brandon Carr, Auston Case, Corbett Caudill, David Clark, John Clifford, Jason Coburn, David Copley, Duane Cornett, Nick Correll, Jerry Couch, Tony Courtwright, Lee Curtsinger, Derek Darnell, Robert Darnell, Tim Davis, Chris Derosset, Tony Downs, Bradley Drury, Dustan Drury, Rick Durham, Wesley Durham, Dawson Elam, Phillip Evans, Jamie Faulkner, Timothy Fields, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jackson Freeman, Ryan Fugate, Anthony Gibson, Ira Gibson, Darren Gifford, Jim Gray, Adam Gritton, Wade Gullett, Steve Gunnell, Crit Hall, Adrian Hall, Ricky Hammonds, Jon Hampton, Shane Hatfield, Lyndell Hatmaker, Matt Helton, Kyle Hensley, Brandon Henson, Stanley Hisle, Josh Hogan, Justin Holbrook, Skylar Hopper, Ryan Howard, Bobby Howard, Jeremy Howard, Daniel Hunter, James Ison, Darren Jackson, Bobbie Joering, Joshua Johnson, James Kenney, James Knack, Jon Lam, Landon Lawson, Jonathan Lay, Devin Logan, Russ Long, Isaac Lucas, Ricky Lunsford, Jeremy Lush, Dave Maggard, Matt Maggard, Casey Mahoney, Chris Maloney, Jeremy Martin, Cody Meriwether, Billy Minton, Darren Montgomery, John Moore, Hunter Morgan, Jeremiah Moyers, Ryan Munday, Logan Murphy, Todd Myers, Chase Napier, Jamin Noble, Titus Pollard, Jay Postlewaite, Jacob Prater, Tim Preston, Shane Ramey, Jeff Riggs, Jason Rogers, Justin Rogers, James Rowe, Erica Russell, Austin Shields, Ricky Sizemore, Devin Smith, Hayden Smith, Chris Smith, Colin Soard, Jarrod Stephens, Charles Stephens, Samuel Stevens, Zack Stewart, Logan Stidham, Tyler Story, Ronnie Thompson, James Trent, David Utterback, Nic Volosky, Scott Wallen, John Walters, Brian Wampler, Charles Ward, Aaron Wathen, John Watts, Jarrod Watts, Paxton Weddington, Mary Westfall-Holbrook, Andy Whirles, George Williams, Noah Woods,

Shantana Woodward, and David Woolum.

Other NCDOT contractors:

Aaron Everette, Aaron Myers, Alan Arrington, Allen Freeman, Andrew Glasco, Andy Adams, Andy Barnhart, Arnold Lassiter, Austin McGann, Barry Mills, Ben Owens, Bennett Gray, Bill Asher, Bill Day, Bill Key, Billy Shoup, Blaze Acord, Bobby Harmon, Brandi Murray, Brandon Kebea, Brendan Spencer, Brian Mixon, Bucky Burwell, Caprice Cheek, Chad Sheets, Chip Speight, Chris Absher, Chris Tew, Colby Stalcup, Collin Radley, Dale Blevins, Daniel Golds, Daniel Pruitt, Daniel Wright, Darrell Koonce, David Eldreth, David Franklin, Dennis Bennett, Dick Vaughn, Donnie Nuttall, Doug Eller, Dwayne Bauguess, Ethan Osborne, Eugene Sexton, Fred Jones, Garrett Watson, Graylan Galloway, Greg Poole, Jack Huskins, Jacob Anderson, Jacob Combs, James Arnold, Jason Absher, Jason Tillery, Jeff Houck, Jeffery Hulsey, Jeremy Yauch, Jerome Potter, Jesse Pitman, Jessie Knight, Jim Overton, Joe Swagger, Johnny Hodges, Jordan Brown, Josh Golds, JT Ritch, Justin Lassiter, Keith Haynes, Kevin Johnson, Kurt Peterson, Lance Byrd, Lane Keller, Lawrence Marks, Marcus Kiser, Mark Abram, Matt Elliot, Matt Tolley, Matthew Evans, Matthew Ferguson, Michael Lopez, Michael Mountcastle, Mike Rogers, Mike Sprinkle, Milton Gibson, Paul Parker, Randy Nichols, Richard Watson, Rick Hamm, Robert Vause, Rodney Canter, Rodney Matthews, Roy Hill, Scott Gallman, Sophia Bauguess, Stephen Fisher, Tab Bridges, Tanner Elliott, Tanner York, Terri Perault, Tim Ashley, Tim Hamilton, Tim Oxentine, Timothy D. Hamilton, Timothy Hackett, Todd Spurlin, Tony Cleary, Tony Glenn, Travis Chrisawn, Trent Miles, Tyler Benge, Vinnie Filauro, Walter Oliver, Will Gardner, Zach Jones, and Zack Walters.

Her Name was Helene

By Jeffery D. Miller

The waters at sea were calm and serene; underneath she was forming a beast named Helene.

On Sept. 26, on the Florida Gulf Coast, She revealed her fury like a tormented ghost.

She was labeled by man as a Category 4. She crossed through the South as if ready for war.

With rain in her veins and winds in her lungs She swept through the mountains, her destruction had begun.

With hate in her heart and lust in her eyes, Trees were uprooted and waters did rise.

Homes were destroyed, roads washed away. No one was prepared for what happened that day.

When her work was all done, she returned to the sea. Leaving nothing behind but rubble and debris.

She thought she had broken their will to move on, But the spirit of the mountains would prove the beast wrong.

With courage, strength, dedication and fight, the people of the High Country began to unite.

With help from their neighbors they would form a great plan. Leaping into action to help their fellow man.

Homes and roads will soon live again. The spirit of the mountains will definitely win.

Home is where he is. ommuni

Findwhat fills

your

hear t in theHigh Country.

In the wakeofthe storm, we’veseen thetrue strengthofthe High Country: its people. Neighbors helping neighbors, communities rebuilding together,and ashared spirit that refuses to waver. This is what makes the High Countrymorethan just a place to live—it’saplace to belong. We’reheretohelp youfind your home in this remarkable community,whererebuilding means becoming stronger than ever. Let’s build your legacy together