For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me … Matthew 25: 35-36
Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina on Sept. 27 and the needs immediately became great on sundry levels. Initially, the need was clean water and nonperishable food. Then it was clothing, shoes, blankets, propane tanks, butane burners, generators, and so much more. Now the greatest need is suitable shelter.
WLOS reported Nov. 7, that “more than 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene across Western North Carolina.” Two weeks later, it was reported that in Buncombe County alone, which is only one Helene-affected county out of dozens in North Carolina – in excess of 1,000 children have temporarily or permanently lost their homes due to flooding, downed trees, and mudslides, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Hundreds of people are living in tents. Some are in borrowed or donated campers or sheds. Many are crowded in with family, friends, and strangers. Others are making do in their damaged homes. Many homes have been stripped bare of walls, insulation, and flooring in order to remove mildew damage and also allow them to adequately dry out. Innumerable damaged homes are still waiting to be accessed and attended to.
While the planned title for this article was “Time to rebuild,” it became evident during Thanksgiving Day volunteering in Burnsville, N.C., with Samaritans Purse that rebuilding, restoring, and renovating, is not yet an option for many of the affected homeowners. Many of our neighbors to the northeast are still without clean drinking water; countless roads are unstable or nonexistent; and, numerous homes continue to be inaccessible, are structurally unsound, or require removal of wet, muddy, and moldy materials.
Witnessing in person the ruination wrought by a mudslide, causes, as one 20-something Samaritans Purse volunteer shared, an immediate emotional response.
Either not enough skilled workers are available to repair or rebuild homes – or homeowners do not have adequate funds to repair or rebuild. They are waiting on FEMA, insurance appraisals, mortgage relief, and more.
A regional newspaper declared in a headline that incoming governor “Josh Stein faces a tall first task as governor: Rebuilding western NC after Helene, and that “He sees infrastructure repairs — water and sewer lines, as well as schools — as a top priority. He’s emphasized the need for temporary housing while permanent structures are rebuilt.”
Give or go
In the meantime, an incalculable number of individuals separately or through nonprofits and churches, are stepping up in various ways. Giving of funds to aid in ongoing cleanup, housing, and repair efforts is vitally important – as is signing up to volunteer.
Cabins 4 Christ, out of Virginia, is just one nonprofit that began shipping basic 178-square-foot, solar-paneled cabins, with mattress, compost toilet, and “buddy heater” last month to such areas as Swannanoa and Black Mountain. Just last week, Cabins 4 Christ also called for volunteers to assist with repairing roofs in affected areas.
Organizations such as Samaritans Purse, Baptists on Mission, Savage Ops, and others are stationed in different areas of Western North Carolina and are equipped with the logistical know-how and equipment necessary to effectively assist people whose homes and properties were adversely affected by Hurricane Helene. Nonprofit relief organizations continue to learn daily about people in need, adding more and more projects to their endless lists.
For example, one Burnsville native watched a creek near his home become a river on Sept. 27 and 28, widening and altering course due to a build-up of debris, resulting in his front and side yards washing away. His two vehicles underneath a metal carport currently appear suspended due to the ground beneath them disappearing in flood waters. Amazingly, his home was not destroyed, but it is unlivable because of the missing foundation, damaged carport, and buildup of debris. The homeowner is at a loss as to what to do, and no resources have been available to assist him. He is having to live with a family member.
A Samaritans Purse coordinator learned of the man’s plight on Thanksgiving Day, took some photographs of the damage, and promised to schedule a team to help him in the very near future so he can get back into his home.
Anyone can sign up online to volunteer for a day or longer.
A day in the life of a volunteer
On Thanksgiving Day in Burnsville, Samaritans Purse orientation lasted from 7:30 to 8 a.m. Around 50 volunteers of varying ages from at least eight states were split up into three teams. Volunteers were given a t-shirt and met with a team leader to learn the day’s goals and assignment. At least 10 Samaritans Purse equipment trucks were stationed at a church in Burnsville. Each team met at a home site and worked for a few hours or all day, no later than 4:30 p.m., to help with debris and garbage cleanup, stripping homes, clearing trees, and more.
Crucial is the opportunity to meet homeowners and allow them to tell their harrowing stories, learn other needs, and offer compassion and prayers.
One 80-plus-year-old woman, whose great-grandchildren were visiting from Florida when the hurricane hit, watched houses wash down the road in front of her house. She tearfully shared how her great grandchildren huddled with her in her living room and waited to be washed away as well.
“But it was a miracle we all survived,” she told a group of about 20 Samaritans Purse volunteers who tackled several projects at her house and then prayed with her on her porch. “Some of my neighbors were not so fortunate. God still wants me here, and I’m very thankful to have people like yourselves helping us all out.”
While sites throughout Western North Carolina are currently stuffed full of donations, everything from blankets and coats to diapers and formula, some targeted needs are at the forefront. Check first with local donation centers to determine ongoing needs.
Nick Potts, owner of Fox Mercantile in Franklin, has been taking monetary donations –in the store or through Discover Church – to purchase boots and socks for first responders, who are wearing out these items quickly due to thick, toxic mud that has accumulated at clean-up and recovery sites. Hundreds of pairs of work boots and thick socks have already been taken primarily to fire stations in Western North Carolina, and Potts expects that another delivery will occur before Christmas.