Red Cross Adapts Services to Support Mountain Communities in Rural North Carolina following Hurricane Helene

In late September, Hurricane Helene left a swath of destruction behind that covered hundreds of miles and crossed several states. Western North Carolina was hit particularly hard by the hurricane. In the western mountains, Helene struck with such devastating force that much of the area was left unrecognizable. Entire towns were destroyed, roads and bridges washed away, people completely isolated from getting help.

The American Red Cross was there then and is still there, helping people come to grips with their losses and start the recovery process. However, it quickly became clear that the geography of the affected area, compounded by the utter devastation left behind by Helene, created an unusual situation. Those affected would need more, and different, services than what is typically provided by the Red Cross after a disaster, namely safe shelter, food, emergency relief supplies, emotional support, health services and financial assistance.

Recognizing the desire of those affected to stay on their land, Red Cross disaster workers are part of the effort to deliver critical supplies to those who are staying in damaged or cut off homes. Red Cross disaster teams have worked with partners to deliver things like laundry and shower trailers, cooking stoves, even spark plugs to keep generators going and machinery running to support cleanup.

As cooler temperatures have set in, the Red Cross and partners are providing items such as cooking stoves, generators and fuel, ready to eat meals, water, water filtration straws, power banks and more — items that someone in such a remote area may need to survive colder weather.

Two teams of Red Cross disaster workers recently navigated narrow paths that were once paved roads, armed with critical supplies. They met local resident Stacey Randolph near Bee Log, an unincorporated community in Yancey County, North Carolina. Randolph has been working with his friends, neighbors, emergency responders and local volunteers to clear new trails for people to use. With his deep knowledge of the terrain, his efforts have helped rescue many.

One of those helped is Ellen Redenbaugh, a retired nurse and neighbor of Randolph’s. She has been collecting medical equipment to use her expertise to help her neighbors. She gladly accepted a pair of fully stocked first aid kits from the Red Crossers.

The Red Cross teams reconvened at the Bee Log resource center, a school building which has been repurposed to be a community resource center. Here, local residents are assembling food, clothes, tarps, diapers, pet supplies and more. The Red Cross has been working to acquire resources for the center, including an Automatic Electric Defibrillator (AED).

The Red Cross is also providing life sustaining items such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, well testing kits and water filtration systems, shelving units for the resource center, and even disaster mental health support so that impacted residents can talk to a trained Red Cross mental health worker.

As the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season nears its November 30 ending, the work of the Red Cross isn’t close to being done. Alongside our partners, the Red Cross will be in western North Carolina, Florida, and other states impacted by this year’s storms to support those in need for weeks and months to come.

The Red Cross stands on the front lines of the climate crisis with families and communities — responding to rapidly intensifying storms, extreme heat, record floods and devastating wildfires. We are evolving to meet the needs of communities in new ways, but our lifesaving mission remains the same — to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.