The Deadliest Hurricane Since Katrina
Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, made landfall at peak intensity late on September 26 in Florida's Big Bend region. It then moved quickly inland and stalled over Tennessee on September 27 before dissipating on September 29.
News reports have detailed the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The storm unleashed catastrophic rainfall-triggered flooding, particularly in western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and southwest Virginia. As of October 9, the death toll from Hurricane Helene has surpassed 230, with fears that the number will increase as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
Immediate Response from Americans Helping Americans®
Reaching Out to Affected Communities
On September 30, we reached out to our partners in the affected areas of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, offering emergency relief assistance.
Among them was Karrie Foust, ministry center coordinator of Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies (AMOS) in Jefferson City, Tennessee. AMOS serves the East Tennessee counties of Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, and Hamblen. Cameron Krizek, AHA Executive Director, reached out: “I would like to get a sense of what happened to the surrounding communities.”
Within hours, AMOS home repair administrative assistant Marihelen Ballard emailed photos, stating:
“I hope this provides you with the information you requested and conveys the devastation that the Cocke County community has suffered from Hurricane Helene.”
Marihelen noted that the area is a mountainous community with valleys and hollows:
“The rivers and tributaries in this area do get higher and even flood during heavy rains, but this was totally unexpected and hard for officials and homeowners to prepare for. Never would we have thought we would have to prepare for a hurricane and its effects.”
Mobilizing Resources for Emergency Relief
Supplying Essential Goods to Those in Need
By October 1, our community partners in Georgia and Tennessee had requested emergency supplies, including food and essential hygiene items. Americans Helping Americans® began preparing shipments of:
- 1,500 25-pound food boxes (enough to feed a family of four for a week)
- 3,000 hygiene kits (containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.)
- 1,000 feminine hygiene kits
- 3,000 packages of disposable diapers
- Pallets of bottled water
- Sleeping bags
Understanding that relief supplies would take days to reach the impacted communities, we provided emergency relief grants to our partners in Kentucky to help them purchase food and water for community members in need.
By October 7, the number of food boxes shipped had increased to nearly 4,000, and disposable diaper packages increased to nearly 6,000. These supplies were shipped to AMOS; LAMP Ministries, our partner in Gainesville, Georgia, serving Hall and White counties; and a new partner in Tazewell, Virginia, Labor of Love.
Partners on the Ground: Stories from the Field
Relief Efforts in North Carolina
In Boone, North Carolina, our partner Kendra Sink shared:
“The devastation in our community is nothing like we’ve seen before. Schools are canceled for the week, and we are just trying to get more shelters set up in the more isolated and hardest-hit areas. The roads to get there are completely gone. We still have people being airlifted to safety. Unfortunately, so many of our roads have washed away completely.”
Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies (AMOS)
As of October 9, our partners in North Carolina and Tennessee reported that many people in their communities still lack power as temperatures continue to drop in the Appalachian Mountains. We sent our full inventory of blankets—1,500 to Boone and 2,000 to Cocke County.
AMOS requested propane heaters that do not produce carbon monoxide and informed us they could secure a good deal on them—fingers crossed on the propane availability. Our response?
“Purchase all the heaters you can, and Americans Helping Americans® will reimburse you for the cost.”
In the meantime, we distributed winter coats to those areas to help those in need stay warm.
Community Support Across State Lines
LAMP Ministries Extends a Helping Hand
In Gainesville, Georgia, LAMP Ministries Executive Director Mary Mauricio reported that she is sharing food boxes received from Americans Helping Americans® with a church in Augusta, Georgia, about 140 miles away, which had been much harder hit by Helene.
“One of the cities affected and less mentioned in the news in our state is the city of Augusta,” Mary shared with Cameron.
With the food boxes from Americans Helping Americans®, LAMP Ministries had the opportunity to be a channel of blessing to the community, hand in hand with Visible Church.
“Currently, the entire city of Augusta is without power except for the street where the church building is located, which has allowed families in the community to go to the building to shower, charge their phones, and stay safe.
“We have donated boxes of food, which have been used to prepare fresh food and distribute it to all the citizens—without a doubt a very special work which we hope to continue doing.
“Thank you very much, Americans Helping Americans®, for the supplies you continue to send to LAMP to bring help to the Georgia community.”
Labor of Love in Virginia
In Tazewell, Virginia, Labor of Love Director Rene Steele reported that many who had lost power in the hurricane’s aftermath—including her 80-year-old mother who went seven days without electricity—had it restored, but many had already “lost everything in the refrigerators and freezers.”
Neighbor Helping Neighbor: A Continued Effort
Looking Ahead
We remain committed to providing support, sending essential supplies like blankets, heaters, and winter coats to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. This is what community looks like—neighbor helping neighbor, community helping community.
It’s Americans Helping Americans®.
