A sense of community after Hurricane Helene
Megan Horn
CNI Newspapers
“Neighbors helping neighbors” is the focus of the Grassy Creek community as residents came together to support each other in the heartbreaking aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
That message displayed on a banner hanging on the bridge at Parkway Fire & Rescue Station 2 rings true for the entire community and all of Mitchell County.
The station is a hub for people in the community to gather needed resources and check on one another.
Bringing with it significant flooding and high-speed winds, the storm left a devastating impact on the community with county-wide power and communication outages. Roads were washed away during the storm and as of Monday, Oct. 7, most of Spruce Pine and Bakersville were still without water.
“This is a full-service distribution,” Parkway Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief David Hughes told the Mitchell News-Journal Friday about providing resources to the community. “We are set up to serve.”
Friday, Oct. 4 made Day 7 of the operation at fire Station 2 after Hurricane Helene began its destruction late Sept. 26.
“We’re seven days in but we’re seeing progress,” Hughes said.
Hughes said that Station 2 had been running on generator power up until the evening of Oct. 3. The community was invited to take showers and Hughes said that on Oct. 3 alone the fire station was able to provide showers to over 100 people as well as feed over 180 people.
The station is also set up with Starlink so people can get in contact with their loved ones to check on them.
Hughes spoke about the reward of helping people in need with something as simple but powerful as being in the position to allow someone who hasn’t showered in days take a shower and feel better.
Station 2 is set up with hot meals, showers, bathrooms and cold drinks that feed and accommodate public safety workers as well as community members.
Local businesses were even able to donate food such as meats so that it would not go bad since they lost power.
Parkway Fire & Rescue, the Spruce Pine Fire Department and West of New Bern Volunteer Fire Department worked together to respond to calls and get water from a nearby creek to provide non-potable water that the community can use.
The non-potable water is not for drinking, but anyone whether they are a resident of Mitchell County or not, can fill up buckets with the non-potable water so they can flush their toilets.
Hughes said that Station 2 is open to everyone.
The water also goes to local hospitals and churches that clean it to use for showers.
Melissa Hughes has been volunteering during the distribution at Station 2 and said that it has been an effort of the community together in a time of need.
“[There are] a lot of good Samaritans out there,” she said. Melissa Hughes said that she is helping with the cause because “that’s what we’re called to do as Christians. Be the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Even though devastation hit the area, a message of hope is displayed through helpful actions in the Grassy Creek community and a mindset of faith in God.
Parkway Fire & Rescue has the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” displayed on their apparatus and that message hasn’t waffled as residents stay strong during difficult times.
David Wheeler said that he volunteered to help at Station 2 because it’s a time of helping your neighbor and not being selfish. His son, Hagen, is a firefighter as well.
“Pray for God’s wisdom, not our wisdom,” Wheeler said about how God knows what will happen and only His wisdom can get us through these trials. “We’re seeing the good side,” he said of everyone checking on one another and doing everything they can to help in good spirits. He said that he is trying to do whatever he can to help.
Donations needed
The distribution center at fire Station 2 has received all sorts of donations from areas around North Carolina and even other states, but there’s still more that can be done to help.
Resources such as drinking water, food, baby supplies, dog food, cat food, and horse food among many other items could be found at Station 2 last week.
“We never know what people are going to bring us,” said volunteer Reid Duncan, about the donations from all around they have received. He has 42 years’ experience as a firefighter and is president of the Spruce Pine Rotary Club.
Duncan said that the most needed items are paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, etc. as well as canned food and canned fruit. He added that they have received many donations of snacks but that they are in need of food with sustenance as well.
Supplies have been donated by many companies from all around North Carolina as well as other states. Arcola Logging Co. Inc. from Arcola, N.C. traveled to Parkway Fire & Rescue Station 2 Grassy Creek to help them in their time of need.
The crew saw how Mitchell County was affected and they shut a job down to help out.
“It’s given us a new appreciation for volunteer fire departments,” the loggers said after seeing the extensive operation.
“We’re trying to accommodate everyone we can,” Duncan said about asking patrons to be patient and “just bear with us.” He added that it was going to be a long recovery process, and everyone needed to continue working together.
Fire Station 2 bustles with activity as helicopters are heard whirring above and residents walk around gathering supplies. Local first responders, public safety from other areas, the National Guard, and State Park Rangers work together to provide basic and important necessities. FEMA was also set up in a nearby location on the hill.
Eric Gleason, with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said that his crew was activated by the Emergency Operation Command (EOC) to respond to the area.
On day 7, many public safety officials had gone several days without showers and were sleeping in enclosed trailers in the Station 2 parking lot.
Station 2 was no stranger to people donating their time to help and that was the goal of Wheat’s Off-Road, whose members travel around to different areas and help with disaster relief.
“We felt like we needed to come here,” Jen Wheat told the Mitchell News-Journal on Friday. “This is what we do,” she said about helping.
Officials said that FEMA had established a hub nearby and the goal of the Parkway Fire & Rescue was to go back to normal operations Monday, Oct. 7 and have FEMA coordinate efforts moving forward.
Parkway Fire & Rescue Station 2 Grassy Creek Rescue Captain Chad Hughes said that the community has a unified message of perseverance.
“We have to make sure the groundwork is here today so we can rebuild,” Hughes said.
Mitchell County Fire Districts include 1-Estatoe; 2-Grassy Creek; 3-Altapass; 4-Spruce Pine; 5-Ledger; 6-Bakersville; 7-Fork Mountain; 8-Bradshaw; and 9-Buladean.