I called North Carolina home for over eighteen years. Just a couple of weeks ago, Hurricane Helene caused incomprehensible damage to communities I love and care about deeply. But through tragedy, the goodness in humanity shines.
On the evening of September 26th, Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida. The damage and devastation cannot be undermined for Florida, but what was to come for the mountains of western North Carolina was catastrophic.
Before Helene made landfall, a predecessor rain event had already dumped several inches of rainfall in the Appalachians. Helene then proceeded to drop historic amounts of water all over the mountains.
According to the National Weather Service in Greenville/Spartanburg, over 30 inches of rain fell in isolated locations across the mountains, with most cities receiving rainfall totals usually measured in years, only in a couple of days.
In Buncombe County, North Carolina, officials reported "biblical devastation". More than 225 fatalities have been associated with Helene. Many families have lost everything, and towns are completely unrecognizable. An event of this magnitude only occurs once every 1,000 years.
Nicholas Gearity of Mooresville, North Carolina has seen firsthand just how devastating storms like this can be and knew he had to jump into action.
"It's catastrophic," Gearity said. " I went through there and there are homes that once were on a foundation in a little strip that are now in shambles in a riverbed. It's no longer a road... There are cars crumbled down the riverbed just destroyed. It looks like they went through a trash compactor."
A somber scene was left behind in Helene's wake, but tragedy often helps bring communities together. For Helene, an entire state is united.
"We are all Americans and we are all helping each other in a time of desperate need", Gearity said. "It does not matter who you are, what you do, your outlook and opinions on things... it is all a matter of are you okay, what do you need, how can we help."
Here are some links to donate to victims of Helene:
