Bringing Help and Hope After Helene
“I've never experienced God's love like that.”
Hurricane Helene turned the Cane River, usually about 40 feet wide, into a raging, swollen behemoth that swallowed houses, cars, utility poles, and huge chunks of land on both sides of its gluttonous path as it charged downstream.
But when the storm swept through the hills and valleys of western North Carolina in late September, Victoria Hensley didn't think much of it—at first. She grew a bit more concerned when Little Creek, the normally gentle stream that flows behind her property, flooded and some water trickled into her house. And, of course, she lost power—typical for a heavy rainstorm in the outer reaches of Yancey County.
“I saw we were completely cut off. There was no way out or in.”
But after the downpour stopped and she cleaned up the puddles from her floors, she and her husband, Justin, and their two young sons rode down the street to the Cane River that runs through their rugged, mountainous community. They couldn't believe their eyes.
“I saw we were completely cut off. There was no way out or in,” Victoria said. “The roads on both sides of the river were gone. The bridge was demolished. We saw the roof of someone's house float by.”
“The water was up past the windows of the house.”
Another Little Creek resident, Stacey Randolph, 64, watched it all unfold standing in the pouring rain high up on a hill behind the white, clapboard house his parents bought in 1952. The house, which hugged the riverbank, is where Stacey was born and where he has lived most of his life.
“The water was up past the windows of the house, and it busted the foundation. The whole back of the house is lifted up,” he said. “Everything inside is ruined. It's deep in mud. I also lost a truck. The water just came and spun it around and off it went down the river.”
It took three days before the floodwaters receded. Several men in the community then used their tractors, a dump truck, and a trackhoe to carve out a crude, single-lane muddy road along a narrow strip of earth adjacent to the river. It took them four days. It's the only access the community, which has many elder residents, now has if they need to leave for work or doctor visits or to get groceries.
The flood washed away the roads, all of the power poles and electric lines that fed into Little Creek, and the ground the poles were erected on. So, the area could be without electricity for up to six months. The infrastructure—and the very ground—must first be repaired and restored. Snow has already fallen, and the residents know that more will likely follow—and may make their makeshift road impassable.
“That's God's Hand on This Little Community”
Victoria, 39, is one of the youngest residents in Little Creek. She quickly realized that the biggest need for her community was for generators. For many of her retired neighbors, it could be a matter of life and death. Without the generators, there would be no heat, no power to run well pumps, and no lights.
Victoria found out about Samaritan's Purse through one of her cousins, who had been manning a supply site we had set up at nearby Big Creek. The cousin reached out to her and put her in contact with us. She asked for 50 generators. We quickly responded and airlifted 52 because of the way they are packed four to a pallet. And that's exactly how many were needed! “That's God's hand on this little community,” Victoria said.
More airlifts followed—nine in all, including six deliveries by twin-rotor Army National Guard Chinooks—that flew in propane and electric heaters, water, food, winter clothing and blankets, fuel, two ATVs, and more. Victoria, an eighth-grade science teacher, now oversees the stockpile seven days a week, which is kept in several large, weatherproof tents supplied by Samaritan's Purse. She hands out the supplies as they are needed. She expects to keep doing this until school starts back—probably around the first of the year.
“It's Been a Lifesaver”
The residents say the generators and heaters have been a Godsend. “The generator and heater are a blessing, that's for sure, especially with really cold weather coming,” Stacey said. After the storm, he moved into a friend's cabin that also is without power. But he's grateful. “God is at work. He's on the job.”
Jack Stark, 72, is especially relieved to no longer be living in the dark. “If you don't have lights on in the house, it's like being in the doldrums,” he said. “It can lead to depression.” And Jack was particularly thankful that it was Samaritan's Purse that provided much of the relief for Little Creek as there's a full-circle connection with the organization's president, Franklin Graham. Stark said he gave his life to Jesus 30 years ago while watching Franklin's father, Billy Graham, preach on TV. “Billy's how I came to know the Lord,” he said. “I don't know what made me turn on the TV that day, but I did, and I accepted Christ. Billy was the greatest evangelist there ever was.”
“It's a relief to know they're warm at night”
After the homemade road was completed, Nina King, 66, left and lived with her daughter for two weeks. When she heard that Samaritan's Purse had a generator for her, she returned home. “It's been a lifesaver,” she said. “I'm thankful I can now wash some clothes!” She also got a heater. The generator and heater are a great comfort to her because two of her grandchildren live with her, and she works second shift at a commercial equipment supplier. “It's a relief to know they're warm at night while I'm working.”
Spearheading an Unprecedented Response
Because Helene's damage was so vast and catastrophic, Samaritan's Purse responded on an unprecedented scale across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. We also brought relief along the Gulf Coast of Florida and southern Georgia.
Since so many roads and bridges were washed out in areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains, we coordinated a fleet of 10 helicopters, including those Army National Guard Chinooks, three ex-Army Blackhawks, and several privately owned choppers, to fly supplies into 23 counties affected by the storm. We conducted 359 flights and made over 240 ground missions.
We've already given out over 500,000 liters of water; 24,666 boxes of food; 17,339 solar lights; 3,847 generators; 7,768 heaters; and thousands of warm clothes and blankets. We also set up emergency medical facilities, installed dozens of Starlink satellite devices to restore communication, and operated water filters in towns where municipal water systems were wiped out. Additionally, we plan to provide upwards of 500 mobile homes and build hundreds of houses for those who lost theirs to Helene. We likely will be working in western North Carolina for the next three years or more.
Putting Boots on the Ground Quickly
As soon as Helene passed, we put boots on the ground. Our orange-shirted volunteers—nearly 30,000 in just the first month—cut downed trees, shoveled mud, tarped roofs, hauled off debris, and prayed with survivors.
“You guys have done an amazing job taking care of our neighborhood. We can rebuild with God's grace.”
In Asheville, Jerry Owensby and his wife, Kelly, barely escaped their bedroom before a tree crashed through its roof. Days later, they were relieved when dozens of Samaritan's Purse volunteers arrived to mud out their home and remove the tree. “You guys have done an amazing job taking care of our neighborhood,” Kelly said. “We can rebuild with God's grace.”
“The love and the compassion, the care and the concern with everything they did was just amazing. I've never experienced God's love like that.”
Another homeowner in Boone, Monnie Roten, broke down in tears when she saw volunteers arriving to clean out her home. “When I saw those orange shirts come onto the property, I really hadn't cried until I saw them step off that truck,” she said. “The love and the compassion, the care and the concern with everything they did was just amazing. I've never experienced God's love like that.”
Over in Creston, North Carolina, Joshua Jones also was thankful for the volunteers who helped clean up his property, but he was even more grateful when a member of our staff shared the Gospel with him. “We were talking about God and how He's an amazing person,” Joshua said. “I learned that if you know Jesus is in your heart, God can be there for you at all times. It was really beautiful.” Joshua then prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. He's one of over 300 people who have placed their faith in Jesus so far during our response to Helene.
We praise God for the tens of thousands of volunteers who have donned an orange shirt and worked as the hands and feet of Jesus after Hurricane Helene. They helped more than 5,000 individuals and families in western North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
God Is Working
“We're just so thankful for Samaritan's Purse. They looked deep into a holler that nobody could get to and came in and met our needs in a mighty way. It's God at work. He's been so good.”
Through all of the devastation and hardship, Victoria in Little Creek says she's seen God at work and has seen good come from it. “For one thing, I now know all of my neighbors and it's brought us all closer together,” she said. “God orchestrated all of this. He has a plan for it. And we're just so thankful for Samaritan's Purse. They looked deep into a holler that nobody could get to and came in and met our needs in a mighty way. It's God at work. He's been so good.”
Please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Helene and for our volunteers as they serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.
Samaritan's Purse will rebuild hundreds of houses and replace hundreds of manufactured homes for families whose dwellings were left uninhabitable due to the storm. To learn more, visit the Samaritan's Purse Rebuild Program page.
