Seven months after Hurricane Helene swept through the devastation is still obvious. Yet, so is the opportunity to serve. What Helene couldn’t erase was hope. When we have hope, we can survive storms, rebuild our lives, and look forward to the future. With help, hope, and time, we will overcome what Helene took. There is hope after Hurricane Helene.
On Friday, September 27th, I woke to a thud. “What was that?” I asked my husband and headed to the coffee maker.
“Thunder, I hope,” my husband said.
Moments later, before I’d brewed a second cup, the electricity blinked, the phone blanked out, and the wireless disappeared. Water leaked into the house. Several ninety-five-foot oak trees had fallen, crushing one of our vehicles, a section of the garage roof, and more. We watched our backyard trees uproot and bend like rubber until we realized we needed to seek shelter downstairs.
Meanwhile, an hour’s drive north of my home, an eighty-five-year-old didn’t have a chance to shelter. He woke to the sound of water rushing from the Cane River. Between the river across the street and the pond behind his home, the area looked like an ocean. Water stormed through his home, pushed him against a wall and didn’t slow until reaching his shoulders. At the house next door, his granddaughter climbed out a window and onto the roof with her children.
Helene wiped out homes, floated away cars, tossed trees like twigs, and pushed mud down mountains and into buildings. She took transportation, homes, businesses, and jobs. The hurricane left behind a desperate situation.
Realizations
From our battery-operated radio, we gradually learned the extent of the devastation in western North Carolina and beyond. The villain, Hurricane Helene, lived up to her name. Her destruction hit six states: Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
The story doesn’t end here. Restoration began as soon as the storm stopped. Neighbors helped neighbors to cut trees blocking driveways, cleared roads, and provided food, water, and supplies. Seven months later, we’re still working on restoration.
“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Genesis 9: 11 NIV
Who is Helping?
One of many organizations that responded is The Baptists on Mission Disaster Response team. The disaster team has six rebuild centers in North Carolina—Boone, Spruce Pine, Burnsville, Black Mountain, Canton, and East Flat Rock. On April 5, I had the opportunity to go with a group from my church to the recovery site in Burnsville. The organization bought and remodeled a former retirement home to house volunteers who come to Burnsville. 
After our group registered, we then drove through curvy mountain roads and past green fields to the home of the 85-year-old gentleman I mentioned above who survived the flooding of his home.
Helene the Villain
Hurricane Helene caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage, ranking it one of the costliest storms in US history. The house where I volunteered is one out of 210 homes in Burnsville that have applied for assistance with the disaster rebuild program. The rebuild of this one county in NC is estimated to take five to six years. Can you feel the enormity of this storm?
Who Can Help?
The skilled and the unskilled are welcomed. If you have a willing spirit, the rebuild team will find a suitable job for you. Would you like to be a part of the solution for the people who lost homes and belongings? There are numerous organizations to tap into. If you’d like to serve, follow this link of volunteer organizations.
The Rest of the Story
The home we worked on in Burnsville sits across from the Cane River. While we were working, the elderly man’s daughter stopped by to meet the group. After learning each of our names, she gathered us around and shared their Helene story. Afterwards, she showed us two books that a volunteer team had found when they mucked out the house. The first book was a Bible dictionary. Covered in mud, the pages were stuck together, but the book was opened to the W section of the dictionary with definitions of water references from the Bible:
- Water
- Water of Bitterness
- Water of Jealousy
- Water of Separation
- Waterpot
- Waterspout
The second book recovered from the mud was a Bible. Like the dictionary, the pages had melded together. They found the Bible opened to Revelation.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4
Before we arrived at the house, I wondered if I might have the chance to tell someone about Jesus. To pass on the hope I have. The smile on the lady’s face in Burnsville told me she had Jesus’ hope in her heart. Instead of witnessing to them, this family witnessed to me and the other volunteers.
“… Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I Peter 3:15
The Story Isn’t Over
In the aftermath of Helene’s destruction, she left behind the opportunity to help. The need is great. But, we can be part of the solution for the people still affected by the storm.
Hope After Hurricane Helene
Yes, this is a story of a natural catastrophe. Even now, many who were hit by Helene are still living without a home. The next chapter in this story is not about Helene’s destruction, but opportunity. Can you share your time? Share your hope? With hope, we can look forward to the future.
ALWAYS Hope
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“… we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” II Corinthians 4:17-18
Thank you for keeping the recovery work in the forefront. In the day of the 24 hour news cycle, it’s easy for those not faced with daily reminders of the devastation to move on to the next disaster. And thank you for the reminder. God will always prevail.