By David Ullman, Red Cross Writer
On September 17, 2024, a storm began emerging in the western Caribbean Sea. That storm would grow and travel north into the Gulf of Mexico where it would be assigned the name “Helene.” Ten days later, Hurricane Helene brought high winds, historic flooding and catastrophic mudslides to the Carolinas. The deadly storm carved a path of inconceivable damage. The American Red Cross was there with volunteers on the ground ready to support the recovery of these devastated communities.
Retired couple Susan and Tony Mellon, of Scarborough, Maine, got the call to deploy shortly after the storm hit. They departed the next day, just 24 hours to prepare.
“The one day that you have is chaotic,” explained Susan. “I was cancelling appointments, emptying the refrigerator, finding a cat sitter, and throwing things into a suitcase. While I’m doing that, Tony went to get the ERV ready. He had to inspect it and make sure it was ready to go.”
Emergency response vehicle – or ERV – is the Red Cross signature red and white van that delivers food, supplies and hope to disaster survivors. The Northern New England region sent one of these vehicles from each of its three states: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The Mellons drove the one from Maine – and met up with the other two teams along the way. Travelling in convoy with the other ERVs driven by Red Cross volunteers Don “Chip” Coupal and Pete Basiliere, they were among the first Red Cross volunteers to arrive in the Carolinas.
“We were pretty early on the ground,” recalled Susan. “The flooding really happened in North Carolina on Friday. We were week one on the scene, and that always leads to the need to be super flexible because people are still coming up with a plan and trying to figure out where the needs are.”
“Whenever you go into one of these areas, the first thing you hear is how fast it came, how fast it happened,” Tony said. “It'll start raining and raining and you’ll go to bed at night. Three hours later a river is redirected right through your house. You literally have minutes to get out of there. There's so much water that it started following the roads. Then instead of going down the road it would go down someone's driveway and just take the house right off the foundation.”
The Mellons’ assigned region, located more than 230 miles from the coast, was devastated. Houses were moved off their foundations, roads were destroyed, and communities needed support.
“You're driving along on these mountain roads that are dangerous to begin with, and you're worried that any minute that the road’s going to come out from under you,” Tony said. “You're driving along and this tree is sticking into the road. Houses are just totally destroyed, nothing left of them. And everything is covered in mud.”
The Mellons were originally assigned to Greenville, South Carolina. Amid all the destruction, they were tasked with loading up the ERV and delivering meals to displaced residents, local first responders, search and rescue teams and National Guard troops.
“One day, early on, we were sent up to Boone, North Carolina,” remembered Susan, “to pick up food from the Southern Baptist Kitchen and deliver it to Bakersville, which typically is only a 30-minute drive. Except the roads are all gone. So, it's now a three hour drive.
Within a couple days, the Mellons were reassigned to Boone, which was helpful because it’s where they felt they could have the greatest impact.
“Our community mission was feeding, but it was also forming relationships with the local community. We would pick up food and then deliver it out to the more rural churches and then they would distribute it from there,” Susan said.
For the Mellons, the deployment was more than being physically present to help with the recovery. It was also important to connect with the local communities. Consistent feeding routes were a critical step.
“We could actually get to know the people and know the route and become much more efficient at meeting the needs,” said Tony. “We got to know the people and we also got to know how best to serve them. We also learned where we could source other supplies.”
Susan said that they figured out that there was a distribution center close by, serving as a hub for donated goods.
“We would get a list and go to the distribution center between lunch and dinner to pick up supplies. The church congregation didn't have to try to get down there to pick it up themselves,” she said.
Responding to disasters is a team effort, and the Red Cross works closely with community partners to meet the needs of those affected. No one organization can do it alone.
“We had a great relationship with the kitchens,” Susan said. “The partnerships that the Red Cross has are so strong and so seamless. We were picking up food at the Southern Baptist Kitchen, but also at Operation BBQ. They were so supportive of us and made our job easier and we're trying to make their job easier in turn.”
“Once the kitchen staff got to know us and trust us, we could be quickly in and out. They trusted us and we trusted them,” Tony added.
Local community leaders were essential to the recovery process. In addition to local police, EMTs, firefighters and first responders, the Mellons said religious leaders are playing pivotal roles in working through the aftermath – and they shared the story of a pastor from Boone.
“The pastor’s name is Mike Townsend,” Susan said. “You could just tell that he was doing everything he could to take care of his local neighborhood community.”
“He took ownership of his community,” added Tony.
Susan continued, “He’s just an example of what's happening all over the place down there. There are people in communities, whether it's the pastor, a sheriff, a local businessperson – somebody is stepping up and coordinating in each town. They're figuring out what's needed, and they are sharing resources.”
After 13 days supporting these hurricane-ravaged communities, the Mellons flew back to Maine. The ERV, however, will remain in the Carolinas to support the continuing relief operation.
As these families try to take their next steps, nearly 1,200 Red Cross responders are with them, providing shelter, meals, relief supplies and a shoulder to lean to make sure no one faces this disaster alone. In many areas, Red Crossers are also supporting residential damage assessment and preliminary reports, so far, indicate some 7,800 homes have been destroyed or received major damage.
“Even if their house was gone, they were just so grateful,” Susan shared. “And people were shocked that we were from Maine. People were asking, ‘You came all the way from Maine to be with us? Thank you so much for coming all that way.’ And we wanted to say, ‘Of course, we're going to come.’”
During this season of giving, the Mellons are grateful too – grateful for their network of Red Crossers, family and friends who support them so they can support others in need.
“It takes a village,” Susan said. “There were a lot of people back here taking care of things for us so that we could deploy. Whether it's a neighbor putting out our trash or taking care of our cat or checking on our house or somebody else picking up a shift for a blood drive because we aren't going to be there. It’s people taking care of us who make it possible for us to deploy. It’s not just the two of us. It's a village.”
People affected by disasters need help, and the Red Cross can’t do this alone. You can help by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or signing up to become a volunteer by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
Your time and talent can make a real difference in people’s lives. Discover the role that's right for you and join us today!
