Relief Trip to North Carolina After Hurricane Helene by Kelly Ramos

I saw the weather forecasts in the end of September, they name one of the Helene. I
did not think too much about her until couple days after her historic landfall and track
into North Carolina. On my television I saw footage of severe flooding in the
Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina. Homes were floating down rivers,
entire roads were washed out avalanche style and impassible for easy escape or
rescue, cars were filmed hanging up in trees, tractor trailers were wrapped around
electricity poles, and I was shocked at how much water could end up in the middle of
the United States and elevated high above sea level. How could this happen? How
was this even possible? I was shocked at the footage I saw and then felt sympathy for
the people living through that footage. How could this much water flood the mountains?
How is it possible some areas had 20-30 feet of water rise out of gentle streams, rivers,
and creek beds into a raging river? Over the next week I learned of the enormous size
of the affected area, and the people it affected involved – no one anticipated that
flooding of that magnitude could occur – severe flooding – yes – but catastrophic
flooding like that isn’t anything someone can imagine on their own. Over the next week,
news headlines and reels on social media detailed the immediate needs of the people
affected by Helene. Water, diapers, formula, food, basic supplies that were washed
away in raging water. I imagined myself in their shoes, imagined needing to take care
of my young family during that disaster and it tugged on my heart.
The days following the storm, my husband was traveling in Utah and I was asking my
friends if anyone knew of any teams that were headed down for the relief effort, thinking
it would be easy to tag-along with a group that was already formed. I have never been
involved in any disaster relief effort and have no experience but I still wanted to help.
Becaues I have a young family and a husband who serves in the armed forces, it wasn’t
going to be easy or straightforward for me to go away for a couple days. I did not think
it was feasible for me to do this but God showed me that he had other plans.
One evening I was scrolling through social media, I saw a friend post some information
about relief efforts in Black Mountain, NC. She was at a location in Black Mountain
currently and was announcing on their behalf they were looking for volunteers. I
quickly contacted her about more information where was she, how do you register, what
do you do? I learned that she was working with a church in Black Mountain, and they
were actively delivering, supplies and meals to people affected in the local area. So, I
called my husband who was serving wounded veterans in Utah. “Hey honey, how are
you doing? Good, that’s awesome. Hey how do you feel about me going to North
Carolina to help with the relief efforts Monday through Wednesday next week?”
Immediately and without skipping a beat, he answered “Yes.” I wasn’t prepared for the
immediate “yes.” Wasn’t he going to ask me details? Wasn’t he going to say, let me
think about it? Wasn’t he going to suggest I wait till he gets home and we could have a
discussion at that time? Nope, my husband who is the protector of our family, someone
who understands the reality of what happens to people in crisis situations, through his
own experiences, immediately said “Yes.”
I was so excited I had the support of my husband, I needed someone to go with me.
The first person I contact is my friend Mari. Even though she has experience with
disaster relief and wilderness survival – I contacted her because she also expressed,
she would want to go on a trip if I ever found a team. She also has a young family and
a protective husband whose career is in DC law enforcement; he also understood the
risk of what we were going into. We decided to pray about it and she would call me
later. She called me a few hours later and excitedly told me that she discussed the plan
to go with me 500 miles to North Carolina and camp out at a church property in Black
Mountain. Her husband agreed to our plan within a few minutes, and he said “Yes”.
Honestly, we were both surprised and excited that we got the support from our
husbands because we didn’t expect that. It’s not that they didn’t support our desire to
do the relief work, it mainly involved managing our families during the time we were
going to be away, trips like this in the past have always needed a few weeks of planning
and creating schedules and itineraries. This time we got our husbands support on a
Friday afternoon with plans to leave Monday morning. There wasn’t weeks to plan the
schedules or itineraries.
Immediately I shared to social media our plans with my goal to fill up our extended bed
diesel truck with much needed supplies. By Saturday afternoon, donations started
pouring in. Mari and I went to or local dollar store and packed up four shopping carts of
supplies, she used her experience to help me navigate what would be great to include –
it was a lot! M friends were asking what people needed so I contacted my friend who
was already in Black Mountain – we need water, handwarmers, bread, and fresh fruit –
Everything she shared with me I shared with whoever asked me what they could
provide. Saturday evening my kids and I organized our dollar store haul into boxes
organized by type, feminine products, baby items, first aid and bandages, toothbrushes
and tooth paste, etc. My truck was half full. It was amazing to me that with virtually no
planning God had provided so much already through friends and family that believed in
us and what we were doing. Sunday morning, I head to church and announced boldly to
people who asked about my trip that God had made everything happen thus far, He
gave us the desire to serve and despite circumstances that usually would make
stepping away from our family duties for a short time, that obstacle was gone, I thought I
was going to go out on my own and buy supplies to deliver but God revealed His
faithfulness by convicting our friends to help us do that and in a much bigger way than I
expected. Because of those circumstances I praised and gave credit to God because
“. . . If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all
things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” I believe that it is through the gift of
mercy and compassion that we were convicted to follow the desire of our hearts.
By Sunday afternoon, my truck was ¾ of the way full, I was working on reorganizing the
truck as I got donations. For myself, I had plans to take my tent, my sleeping mats, and
my cooler. I knew space was going to get tight, so I packed a backpack with a couple
shirts and toiletries. Sunday evening, I headed to a local church that heard about my trip
and they put a call out to their congregation on Sunday morning what supplies I needed.
As I drove up into their parking lot that evening I saw a large amount of supplies sitting
outside the building and they said it was all for me! Initially I was unsure how it would all
fit because it appeared like a whole other truckload. Again, God showed up and made it
happen, we had some great people that were organizing and reorganizing the truck, the
supplies were overflowing – but secured with a tarp and straps. The congregation at
that church was incredible, they showed incredible faithfulness, generosity and care
throughout the loading process and when it was all packed up – everyone present,
including their youth group, prayed over for our safety and asked God to bless us on our
mission. I was moved by their anointing of our mission; equal parts energized that God
was doing amazing work but also feeling my human weakness and that self-doubt and
fear was starting to overtake my mind.
Because of all the provision we had received, my truck was literally overflowing. I no
longer had room for my camping mat. Foolishly, I didn’t even bring a warm coat. I had
planned to camp at the church property in Black Mountain because even though I
registered to volunteer, I wasn’t sure I was going to get a room or what the room looked
like. It could have been a hallway inside a church for all I knew, I just didn’t have those
details available to me because the situation on the ground was constantly evolving and
the volunteers down there already were working constantly trying to navigate the
complex needs of a rescue and relief effort. I didn’t even pack a pillow for myself
because I was trying to use as much truck space as possible for supplies that could
help others. Sunday night, after an entire weekend of planning, organizing, and packing
I was hit with fear. How will you protect yourself do not have a firearm? There are road
closures on Route 40, can you get to where you are going? There are people with
supplies being turned around at check points, can you even get to your destination?
Looters are starting to steal supplies; you need to be careful and go everywhere in
groups, don’t leave your truck unattended! I admitted to my friend through text that
night that I was in fear, she asked me why and I responded with one phrase – the
unknown. My fear was that all this awesome stuff that God provided, and the plans that
He made and the obstacles he removed, I would be the one to fail. I knew I was tired
and needed rest. I also needed scripture to point me back in the right direction. I
opened YouTube and searched “devotions for courage.” All kinds of 3 minute devotions
came up, and I thought to myself “I need more than three minutes”, I scrolled more, and
60 minute sermons were suggested and I thought “those are too long, I’ll fall asleep
while listening” So I continued scrolling and stopped at one titled “Look to God for
Courage (A Powerful Word of Encouragement)” it was 15 minutes long and was the
perfect encouragement I needed in that moment of fear and insecurity. The woman
who was speaking cited Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with
you wherever you go.” Three hundred sixty-five times it is written “do not fear” but I was
filling up with it anyway. I knew that the provision and providence that had revealed
itself was not of my own making, yet my humanity revealed my weakness. After
listening to that devotion I started to find my footing again and I remembered Romans
8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who
have been called according to His purpose.” I remembered that I had a spiritual calling,
that it was connected to spiritual gifts I was given and I felt even more convicted that
this was a calling that was put into motion by heavenly forces. I did not beg for supplies
or money but friends blessed us for this mission and we were supplied in abundance,
more than I ever expected. Further, I was reminded in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “For the Spirit
God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” All
of this does not negate the reality that danger exists, and that dangers are amplified in
disaster zones; however, the truth and comfort of scripture helped shift my attitude from
one of fear to one of peace. I slept well that night and was prepared to depart in the
morning.
Monday morning, I woke up early and did my normal morning chores, feed the cats and
dogs, feed our chickens, get my kids ready for school and make their lunches, start the
dishwasher – albeit faster and more hurried than usual! I hug and kiss my husband
goodbye, then depart to our church to meet the rest of my team. It included myself,
Mari and two other moms who felt called to join us – I had just enough room for
everyone, they were packed up to their eyeballs in the back seat with boxes of bread
between them and their pillows on top! I think we put a package of Hawaiian rolls
behind the back seat! It was packed, but no one complained, and we were ready to hit
the road.
The beginning of the trip was easy and laid back, we had many fun conversations,
talking about everything – notably how all our husbands supported us to do this trip
knowing how protective they are. We were making good time and approached the
Virginia-North Carolina border. As we crossed it, we cheered in excitement! We are
finally in North Carolina! The celebration lasted seconds as the truck alerted us in
ominous beeps that our brake fluid was low! Immediately I pulled to the side of the
road, near an exit. Inside I was panicking, I called my husband and let him know what
was happening. He told me to hang tight because he was going to call our regular
mechanic. As that was happening, the ladies who were at the ready with their phones
googled the closest Auto-Zone. Ten miles down the road. I firmly said “no-way”
because I didn’t want to risk our safety with any brake accidents. I decided to back up a
short distance on route 85 to turn off on the exit because I felt we were safer on the exit
rather than sitting on a busy interstate. Thankfully, Mary was in the backseat and
searched for the closest mechanic to our location. It so happened, that a mechanic was
two miles from our location, in the middle of an extremely small “small-town” with no
other traveler amenities. Fields went in every direction without anything indicating any
business were nearby. From the looks of the exit we were on, there may have been a
gas-station at some point, but it was closed and not even open for business, the gas
pumps long removed. It was at this non-working gas station that we figured out I had a
pretty big leak in one of my brake lines, I was encouraged by my husband that even
though it’s annoying it was going to be an easy repair so I happily – and slowly – drove
two miles down this country road until I saw a hand painted sign announcing “Gary’s
Auto Repair.” I pulled in and within a few minutes a mechanic came out and did his
inspection. Immediately he reports “It’s not your brake line, you have a caliper problem”
my heart sunk. This is a bigger problem than we anticipated, would he be able to repair
it? Would I be stuck in a country hotel tonight? Does Gary’s Auto Repair have the parts
and time to fix this? What did I drive us into? Fear started creeping back again, but the
bigger feeling was gratitude that we were safe. The final verdict on the brake problem
was the caliper was stuck against the wheel, slowly wearing away the brake pad, until
the brake pad was gone, and the brake fluid piston was just pumping brake fluid from
the exposed line. If I had continued to drive, I would have risked losing all my brakes. It was a sobering thought that my brakes could have failed at any point along the way, I
could have been in busy traffic going through Richmond, VA, I could have been in the
mountains going around winding roads with no way to slow down. I was affected by the
danger I felt like I put our group in. Some may call this lucky. Some may call this a
coincidence. Some may not put any merit in it all. But coincidences do not just happen,
only God would alert me at the perfect time to not miss a no-name exit right at the North
Carolina and Virginia border. If I drove 30 seconds longer before the truck alarmed our
problem I would have missed the exit entirely to the faithful mechanic who not only had
the skills to do the work but also the parts in stock! We were filled with so much
gratitude not only that we were OK, but also that we were put in the path to a faithful
follower to fix the truck and back on our mission to Western North Carolina. I thought
many times in those few hours about the verse in Hebrews “Do not forget to show
hospitality to strangers for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to strangers
without knowing it.” Even though we were not the ones showing hospitality I felt like I
was encountering an Angel because of the circumstances in which we ended up in a
small country shop. Within three hours, Gary and his mechanic had my truck
completely repaired with new brakes and calipers and ready to resume our trip. We
were so grateful and had so much gratitude! The ladies that were with me never once
complained about our predicament, the only thing on our minds was gratitude and we
were amazed, still, at how all these episodes panned out as we re-played them over
and over in our minds.
When we got back on Route 85 our group was so excited! We felt God’s protection and
provision once again. I reminded myself what we spoke about when we left home
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous; do not be discouraged, for the
Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” At this point, I was all-in and
completely trusting of God for the entire rest of the trip, I felt protected and that we were
fulfilling a calling to – serve the people affected by the hurricane. Unfortunately,
because the repairs took a few hours, our arrival to our destination was going to be later
than expected – we knew that arrivals had to occur before 7 pm but I decided I wasn’t
going to worry about that. At that point following Helene’s landfall there were known
curfews and checkpoints; we knew it was possible we could be turned away at a
checkpoint or denied entry due to an early curfew, but I decided not to worry about that
either. The only thing I had on my mind was to get to Black Mountain as quickly and
safely as possible.
It was dark as we started approaching the mountains, through the headlights we could
see the outlines of huge trees that were down, chainsaws had cut through branches on
the roads but the large trunks were outlined by headlights as we continued on. Our
GPS instructed us as we approached our exit, and we could see there was a police car
with its lights on. I slowed down expecting to be stopped, but no one stopped us, I
looked in my rear-view mirror to make sure I didn’t ignore a police officer, but instead of
waving us down he never moved. We approached a small town after small town with,
we could see as much damage as our headlights could reach, in the dark it was a
damaged ghost town. The roads leading to the Cragmont Assembly were narrow, dark,
and winding, with dense trees and foliage. We drove by homes without electricity,
boarded up windows, and more tree limbs with chain-sawed edges. Because there was
no power, the homes looked like abandoned buildings, it had an eerie quality. After a bit
of time we finally arrived at our destination! I was so happy to finally get here, but what
was going to happen next? Mari went inside to speak with someone who was expecting
us. I stood outside the lodge; it was a little cold outside. I would have to do some major
unpacking to get my tent out, or rather, dig my tent out. The blankets I brought were
even more deeply packed under supplies right in the center of the truck. I was missing
my camping mat and pillow. I regretted not bringing a heavier jacket because I was
trying to be stoic and endure hardship like the people have had to endure. They have
had massive loss of life and property. I decided to leave my comforts at home because
they were uncomfortable. I wanted to be stoic but inside I was wanting a little bit of
comfort.
Mari came out of the lodge and says, “they have a room for us!” and I was so elated! I
didn’t have to dig out my tent or sleeping bag or my blankets in the dark! We were
directed to our room, and I was shown a clean bed, with a blanket and a pillow! I was
prepared to rough-it in a tent, but we had been supplied with welcoming and safe
accommodations! God is so good! I was so thankful and happy that our day ended in
this way even through all the uncertainty we had faced over the last 24 hours. We were
physically tired, but our minds and souls were energized. We managed to sleep for a
few hours, I got up before the sun came up, grabbed a small cup of coffee, and just
thanked God for all He had done so far. All the volunteers gathered in the dining hall
around 7:30 am and we ate breakfast and afterwards we all prayed gratitude’s for all the
things that we were thankful for.
Many of these volunteers were thankful for the first hot shower they had had in two
weeks, others were thankful for the outpouring of love they had experienced and the
volume of volunteers that came, others were thankful for the supplies that were being
delivered daily. These were just a handful of gratitude’s that I remember. During this
morning meeting I discovered that people were open to connecting with strangers and
they wanted to tell us the stories of what had been happening out in the field and
disaster zones. One volunteer recounted how they were visiting and clearing roads
leading to a mobile home park, many of these small neighborhoods were severely
damaged. One of them he told us was beyond repair and simply abandoned by all who
used to live there. People who live in the mountains lean towards an independency of
outward help, they have knowledge of self-sufficiency, and even during a disaster this
nature still exists. The volunteer talked about one person who was from a mobile home
community, and he said he was doing all right and he didn’t need as much help as
others even though his home sustained damage, the volunteer was amazed that he was
still living in it. But when the volunteer kept pressing him “is there anything I can get for
you?” The man simply said, “I could use a pillow.” At that time all the volunteer could do
was to take note of this small request even though he did not know where he could find
it. The warehouse they were working out of at that time didn’t have comfort supplies
like blankets or pillows – it was more so filling up necessary needs like water, Gatorade,
canned food, peanut-butter, etc. Somehow or another, the volunteers ended up at a
firehouse where – you guessed it – there was a supply of pillows. While this volunteer
recounted this story, he became very emotional being able to fulfill a simple need for
this person because of all the things you think someone would want or need the thing
that was requested was a single pillow. What also stands out to me is these small
requests remain within the minds of volunteers going out in the field and supplying
whatever help they can provide. The volunteers remember your face, and how much
emotion you display, they remember the family you have, they remember your story.
This is why it’s so important to be connected in times of trial or disaster. The Apostle
Paul writes in Galatian 6:2 to “Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Christ.” And what is the law of Christ? In the most simplest terms it’s to love
God and to love people. This gathering of volunteers was a testament to people living
and believing this command.
After the morning meeting, volunteers departed via assigned groups. We volunteered
to hand out meals, but before we could do that we needed to unload the truck. When
they opened the loading door to the warehouse you could see how it was full of all kinds
of supplies – water was stacked up outside of the warehouse ten feet deep and at least
30 feet long. The inside was organized by the skilled volunteers who knew the layout of
the tables stretching out in every direction. It took at least 30 minutes to unload the
truck using 10 people and then whisked away by at least 10 more volunteers to place in
their organized spots in the warehouse.
After unloading, we waited for instructions, I cleaned bathrooms because they relied on
volunteers to keep everything tidy and clean inside the lodge. Water buckets had to be
hauled in from outside to flush toilets. Everyone was part of the effort. When the
leaders realized we had a large truck to transport supplies to Burnsville, which also was
our destination for the day to hand out hot meals, they thought of what we could bring
additionally to that location that was needed. We also had a cooler that they needed to
distribute cold drinks, when I packed the cooler initially I thought I would put food and
drinks for us in there. I packed an empty cooler on Saturday to reserve the space.
Ultimately I used that cooler to transport fruit to Black Mountain, we didn’t use it for
ourselves. I was thankful that I made sure to pack that cooler because providing cold
drinks was such a nice commodity when you were without power for two weeks. We
also fashioned Rubbermaid tote I brought with supplies as a secondary cooler to bring
as much cold drinks as possible. I was so glad we did, we gave away hundreds of ice
cold water and Gatorade. It got hot during the day and those cold drinks extra
refreshing.
In the Burnsville town square we set up our station in front of a storefront named
“Teresa B. Brown” and it was owned by the person by the same name. She had an
interior design business in the town square. It was one of the nicest stores I had ever
been in huge chandeliers, antique ceiling tiles 20 feet in the air, big and comfy chairs,
one of them had a white golden-doodle sitting on one that looked like my dog– but no
one was there to use her services because we were in another one of the worst and
hardest hit areas from Hurricane Helene. Traveling to the town was pretty smooth,
except for a bridge near the town square, because of the high water that was there two
weeks earlier, the bridge was at first impassible, then it had one lane, by the time we
arrived it had two lanes, but that didn’t stop traffic from backing up a mile away as cars
struggled to merge into a single lane in both directions. The town square of Burnsville
was set-up like some people like to describe as a “Chick-fil-a” drive through and it was
expected to serve hundreds a people a day not only because of the supplies that were
available but also because of the free Wi-Fi. Multiple relief services were set up in front
of businesses there and would hand out items to people in their cars as they drove by.
Across the highway from the town square was a grocery store with a large parking lot
and it was filled with pop-up tents, all people handing out supplies. I do not know if all of
it was free but it was an incredible image that is seared into my mind, it was like looking
at a carnival or festival where there are hundreds of vendors except this was all people
coordinated together for the relief effort. At one time during the day when we were
handing out meals a family pulled up to us in a mini-van and you could see she had
three or four kids in the back. We quickly ask the mom how many meals she would like,
she tells us six and then asked, “how much are they?” We replied, “it’s free, do you
need to take some to anyone at home?” Her eyes welled up with tears and she blessed
us as she took six meals. I don’t even want to imagine the hardship she has had,
especially with her kids in the car but I know that the small offering of a hot meal and
cold drinks for free was not what she was expecting and it had an impact on her, I wish I
could have talked to her more but the nature of the process it seemed like cars came
and went all day and all we could do was be an encouraging presence in the face of all
kinds of disaster. We shared information about the warehouse in Black Mountain that
was full of free supplies all they needed to do was to call and they would be delivered to
them. Volunteers were emphatically thanked by recipients for all their hard work and for
coming to help. We did work furiously at that location, we didn’t sit down for hours, we
were constantly running to get food, to pack snack bags, to grab cold drinks – it was fast
paced. I was thankful that my body was in good shape to tolerate the intensity of the
work. I was even more surprised that I did not feel fatigue after all the action I had been
sustaining over many days.
Even though the work was intense, Isaiah 40:31 reminded me “But those who hope in
the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” My family knows this about me, I love
an early bedtime, I love to snuggle up with my blankets and get to sleep early at night.
In the back of my mind I was concerned I would get tired and not be able to drive the
truck Monday night and also Sunday evening; I was pretty certain I would crash at 8 pm
on Saturday but for some reason I did not. I had a spiritual energy where I did not get
tired or fatigued and I didn’t succumb to my usual routine. This was a great thing
because after a long day serving in Burnsville, we returned to Black Mountain – a 60-
mile trip one way, and as soon as we got to our destination we were asked if we wanted
to do another delivery to a children’s home in Asheville. We all said “yes!” without
hesitating. Being a mom to three kids there was no way I would say no so That evening
we drove up a mountain in the city of Asheville and delivered 40 meals to the children
and staff there. We were so happy to do this because their power had only been
restored the day before we came with their dinner. On the way back from our Childrens
Home delivery I accidentally took the wrong exit that led us to a road that meandered
along a river. Of course being just a few weeks following the storm all the businesses
there were severely damaged, cars were piled up and turned over, a layer of dry mud
covered everything. We stopped to look at it for a moment when a homeless, and likely
drug-addicted, woman approached my truck asking for 20$. She looked desperate and
upset and told us she dropped her money somewhere and couldn’t find it. She was
wearing white jeans and a green short-sleeve shirt; she carried a small purse. I cracked
my window and offered her anything else other than money, she did not want anything
other than $20 and when she realized that we didn’t have what she wanted she ran
away with tears in her eyes. Many people do not know that Asheville, NC had the
highest population of homeless in the country BEFORE the hurricane hit. This woman
was a reminder that not everyone was healthy, or had security, before the hurricane
damaged this city and surrounding areas. Like this woman running away from help to
provide basic necessities for survival, many people are denying assistance at all, it
takes some time to form trust. I regret not getting her name or praying with her before
running away, but we used that moment to quickly return course to Black Mountain.
We returned at dusk and ate dinner, it was delicious, red enchiladas. I had seconds I
was so hungry. After dinner I spent some time resting by a campfire that was managed
by children. I am not sure if that is typical Appalachia upbringing or a side-effect of the
adults managing so many roles and tasks that the children were relegated to burning
the hundreds of boxes that were accumulated each day. Eventually the fire duty was
assumed by an adult who traveled up from Louisiana for an extended relief stay. He
slept in his truck at night, and worked all day with whatever hard labor was needed.
Only because Melissa, the woman leading the lodge accommodations, forced him to
stay in a room that night did he comply. He did not want to take a room from someone
else. Later that evening, many of the volunteers would sit in common areas in the lodge
and talk about all they had seen, heard, and done for that day. It was a favorite time of
mine talking to people, not being timid to ask their name or where they came from, I felt
like connections like this rarely happen and it was enjoyable to experience. I know that
we all take these stories in and will re-tell them to friends and family when we go home.
We are all concerned for the future of Western North Carolina because healing and
rebuilding of the physical buildings as well as the toll the people have endured will take
a long time. Imagine that the video a person took during the storm is the last digital
memory you have, I think that hurts very deeply. The truth is that as more newer
headlines are shared in the news and social media outlets the more likely the people
here will be forgotten.
In the immediate aftermath, needs were not met by any government agency following
the storm except for independent grass-roots organizations and churches. By the time I
left they still had a higher presence than any government assistance. In my experience,
I did not witness any government presence except for a 2-truck convoy transporting
about 16 national guardsmen, likely they were search and rescue but there is no way to
know what their job was. The consensus was during our time there that the locals do
not want government help and in fact the small government assistance that has a
presence is doing harm. Stories told to me include a hotel that offered rooms to people
displaced by the water, but FEMA closed a hotel and kicked all the occupants out
because there was no running water. There is no running water anywhere. Another
woman, Teresa Brown told us that her son, a medical doctor, was kicked out of his area
where he was treating patients and providing medical care immediately following the
disaster by the Red Cross. The Red Cross did not replace him with another doctor and
the people had no way to get prescriptions written for them because the Red Cross can
only distribute over-the-counter medications. The list of stories like this exist within
every community and are infuriating and frustrating at their lack of common sense
because people are suffering due to bureaucratic red tape. People helping each other
is what makes things get traction and get accomplished here, if only these government
organizations worked alongside and with the communities would the people be
supportive of their presence.
The most unfortunate circumstance involving the hurricane is the extreme volume of
people who are lost and missing, and the extreme loss of life. At the time of my trip,
number of recovered bodies was around 500 but the number of people missing was
closer to 6,000. The horrifying part of this is the fact that the living can tell the dead are
among them but they are unable to locate them – mentally this is a huge load for a
person to bear. Sharing this load with another person allows a person to process the
loss. During our time in Burnsville, one of us was pulled to the side was told that
because search and rescue was unable to get to an elderly couple that they committed
suicide, as written in a note, some time within two weeks. Eventually they were found,
but it was too late. Who is to know what they were going through? Were they out of
medicine? Were they out of power and unable to use medical equipment? Myself
having Type 1 Diabetes, I can empathize to the feeling of helplessness you would feel if
you depended on medication to stay alive and it’s one of my fears that I would go
through the pain of DKA again like I did when I first diagnosed. These stories I think are
shared with volunteers from out of town to make known the severe and lasting need of
assistance in the area. Continual relief efforts will be needed for the whole year
following this storm.
We woke up on Wednesday morning excited to give a morning’s work before driving
back to Maryland. We ate our breakfast, did our morning prayer and meeting, and
waited for the meals to be ready. Jokes were being tossed around that some of the
volunteers were going to give us some “metal bracelets.” I didn’t know what they were
talking about until it was motioned that we were going to be handcuffed there; it made
me feel good that they appreciated our efforts and wanted us to stay, but I was definitely
sad to be leaving. I wish I could have given more of my time, but my family at home
needed me and they were looking forward to my return. The truck was re-loaded with
boxes of hot meals for a local church, 300 of them carefully served and packed for
distribution. There were so many boxes they could only fit in the truck bed with the
tailgate open. Ironically one of the boxes my kids and I packed with supplies at our
home was one of the last boxes to load and deliver these meals. I thought it was
interesting how this one odd-shaped box somehow escaped the fire-pit the night before
and was being used on our last delivery.
We drove to the closest distribution point which was on our route home. I was
emphasized with direct instructions before leaving Black Mountain to enter through a
second entrance because American Red Cross was stationed at the first. If they
learned my purpose for being there, delivering meals, I would be turned away! I am not
making this up, I was a little nervous driving there and didn’t want to go in the wrong
entrance by accident. The roads leading to this small town were narrow, and parts of
them even smaller because of fallen trees, several times I drove over power-lines,
acutely aware of the people living here not having electricity the last two weeks. We
approached the church, and I scanned the area looking for Red Cross tents or vehicles,
not seeing them I entered and found the people who were expecting us. A group of
them welcomed us and quickly unloaded the truck. Within a few minutes my truck,
which had been loaded to capacity for three days, was suddenly empty except for my
cooler, and our small luggage bags. We were excited to have a little extra room in the
cab but it was still bittersweet. I entered Route 40 and drove north, back towards
Maryland, I looked in my rear-view mirror I saw the Blue Ridge Mountains and it was so
beautiful, exactly what you see in photographs and paintings. I didn’t see it when we
drove there in the dark on Monday evening and driving away from it was sad for me. I
hope the picture I have in my mind as I was looking in my rear-view mirror means that I
can make another trip in the future and see the Blue Ridge as I am driving towards them
but for now this will remain on my bucket-list of things to do in 2025.
Our trip home was uneventful, we talked and laughed and reminisced about the last
three days we spent together and all things we experienced. The sadness of loose
ends of care that were being unfulfilled in the immediate after-math. Still, I still was not
tired, even on the tail-end of driving over 1,000 miles. I had this only because God gave
it to me, on any other trip of this length I have never been this full of energy. On
Thursday morning my life returned to its normal routine, I got up and fed my animals,
had my morning coffee, and drove my kids to school but my heart was still with the
people in the mountains of North Carolina. My purpose for now is to share the details of
this trip to show people that God is working to comfort and provide for the region
affected by this hurricane because I have seen that things people prayed for have been
answered in unique ways and the only explanation is God. Things are being
accomplished here that only God can make happen. I hope that by reading my
account, especially if you are a faithful person you will be encouraged to step out in faith
even if it doesn’t seem like it will be possible meaning “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He
will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 meaning that if you use reason as and
logic as the only metric for decision making and disregard faith and trust in God who is
all powerful then you will miss witnessing God doing God-sized things, meaning He will
make a path for you that you did not know was a possible.
We signed up as volunteers not knowing what job we were going to be assigned or
even where we would sleep, the group of us didn’t have any specific skills that we could
offer but we offered ourselves in the spirit of Isaiah 6:8 instead “’Whom shall I send?
And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!’” The group of us collectively
went in the spirit of faith and the power of God. Scripture tells us in Romans 12:13 to
“Share with the Lord’s people are in need. Practice hospitality.” I can testify to you that
men and women of small, community organizations and churches are the grassroots of
taking care of the needs of the community affected and carrying each other’s burdens.
In Galatians 6:2 it is written “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Christ.” And what is this “law”? Christs law is to first love God, and secondly
but just as important to love people. Many of us have not been in a catastrophic event
like this and it will turn your life upside down and cause you to be disoriented. But then
someone comes out of no-where and will walk with you and help you get your balance
on the road to normalcy and it can be as simple as handing someone a pillow, or a hot
meal or even more physically challenging such as clearing your driveway from trees, or
mucking your home that has a foot of sediment in it, or cleaning up your property that
you no longer recognize because where there was once green pasture is now covered
as far as your eye can see with river rock.
God gives each of us a special gift apart from talents that we possess, and we need a
body of people to fulfill the work He has set out for us. The church body works in unity
with each person doing their work just as it’s written “So Christ gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip His people for works of
service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith. . .”
We all have gifts and talents that can be utilized to serve one another and, in this way,
we achieve unity with each other and unity of faith. When we were in Black Mountain,
many of the volunteers were faithful people living out their calling. Because of this, I
believe we achieved unity in purpose not because we demanded it, or made it happen,
it occurred because of shared unity of faith and purpose.
If you are reading this and do not understand the hope that a Christian has or you do
not understand the reason for it, it rests on the promise that Jesus Christ came into the
world to turn people back to God, was sentenced to death for a crime he did not
commit, died a gruesome death through the crucifixion and three days later defeated
death and rose from the grave. A person who believes this and declares with their lips
that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the one who takes away the sin of mankind, this
person will have eternal life. The Gospel of Christ was chronicled in ancient writings
including the Bible and apart from the Bible. Christ’s story is a legitimate, historic,
event. Before Christ died on the cross, He told His disciples “I have told you these
things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the world.” Just because Jesus died for us in order that we can
have eternal life, it does not mean that we will not endure pain, hardship, loss, fear, or
any other difficult circumstance that belongs to mankind but what it does mean is that
whatever hardship we have endured, Christ endured. He was fully man and fully God.
Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are weary, when our humanity becomes too
much to bear, when our bodies seem like they cannot stand anything else because
when we draw near to Jesus, we will find rest, we will find comfort and peace in our
hearts and souls. This hope is what drives a Christian and they use it as a compass for
their lives. This hope develops the perception in which they interpret the world. It
doesn’t change the pain we experience but we know we are not alone, and that Christ is
with us through it all. For “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no
evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Know that there is
a God that loves and cares for every person on this world, do not let the hardships of life
define it, instead seek it out and test the Word. I wrote this account to chronicle my trip
and wanted to share every aspect of it from beginning to end because I believe God
sent us for a purpose to do His work and along the way we were blessed in unexpected
ways. Jesus tells us “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on
its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”