NORTH CAROLINA– I can’t begin to describe the impact your love has meant to me and the people of western North Carolina following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. As an Operation Blessing staff member, I have seen the damage that storms can cause. But this tragedy was personal. This one hit my home. And so I was asked to tell the story of Helene from my unique perspective and to share how your compassion has made a huge difference.
When the alarm on my cell phone blared at 3 a.m., I panicked. “Flash flood warning. Evacuate to higher ground immediately.” I raced to the front door, unsure of what awaited outside. I could hear the roar of the river across the street from my home. The problem was … we couldn’t see it in the darkness.
My husband put on his boots and grabbed a flashlight. For the moment, our road was clear, and we were safe. We packed our car and waited—checking every hour until dawn, having no idea how badly our area would soon need your help.
When the track of Hurricane Helene shifted toward our region, I had been concerned but not worried. A low-pressure system had already saturated the ground and rivers prior to the storm. We had experienced heavy rains before and knew they would cause downed trees and power outages, but we never expected what would happen next.
By the morning, our river had overflowed its banks. It continued to rise until the storm passed. Then the water level held steady. Even though we lived in a designated flood zone, the river never reached our neighborhood.
We were lucky. But so many others were not, and they would desperately need your support.
The towns of Chimney Rock and Swannanoa were destroyed. Popular areas of Asheville, like the River Arts District and Biltmore Village, were under water. Homes and businesses crumbled into the swelling rivers. People were trapped behind mountain roads that had completely washed out. The death toll kept rising, eventually into the hundreds.
Massive Hurricane Damage from Helene
In the days that followed, even as you were sending help, residents across Appalachia struggled with no electricity, water, or any communications. They waited in long lines for hours to get a few gallons of gas or purchase food from the grocery store—that is, if they had cash. Cell towers had been damaged, and all card readers were down. I couldn’t even send a simple text to my family for several days to let them know I was safe. Helene left our strong mountain community vulnerable and traumatized.
“Many would have left town if they had the resources,” said my friend and coworker Hayley Henson, our national media liaison who lives in Asheville. “There are many low-income communities. They can’t leave. They don’t have access to cash. And the jobs that they had are gone.” Hayley couldn’t contact her loved ones for two days, but she stepped into action.
Thanks to you, our US Disaster Relief team was already in place to respond. Immediately, they shifted their focus from Florida to devastated areas of Georgia and North Carolina. For the first time, our international disaster relief team joined them for a combined effort. Together, and with your support, they offered hot meals, supplies, debris cleanup, and hope to our heartbroken communities.
When Hayley reported the stories, she struggled to hold back tears. “This is where we live. These are our neighbors. I moved here because it was a haven. But the town I loved is gone. And people just down the road have lost everything and are living in tents,” Hayley said.
“But the town I loved is gone. And people just down the road have lost everything and are living in tents.”
-Hayley Henson
As the situation unfolded, you made it possible for our team to utilize helicopters to make drops to remote areas, delivering vital supplies and much-needed water filtration systems. Operation Blessing also partnered with churches to provide an uplifting event to encourage people’s souls.
The Story of Helene: A Community Uniting to Help One Another
But for both Hayley and me, the biggest thing to come out of this tragedy was seeing our community, as well as friends like you from around the country, unite to help those who were hurting most.
Strangers cried together in parking lots. Neighbors checked in on each other. Churches set up relief centers to offer support in any way they could. In partnership with Operation Blessing, your love sent tangible aid and hope to people trapped in devastated neighborhoods who couldn’t get help. For them, you were truly a lifeline! “This was traumatic,” Hayley said. “But God is using these dark moments to invite us to call on Him.”
“This was traumatic,” Hayley said. “But God is using these dark moments to invite us to call on Him.”
-Hayley Henson
When I first arrived at our distribution point in east Asheville, a coworker hugged me. I couldn’t stop crying. You had sent them all this way to help my community. “It’s the least we can do,” he told me. “It’s the very least we can do.” And I knew he meant it.
As the story of Helene ran its course, I felt the heart of Operation Blessing that day in a whole new way. That’s the love you give through this ministry. Thank you for showing compassion during times of crisis.
