Boots on the ground: volunteers’ relief efforts shine bright

After the remnants of Hurricane Helene unleashed a trail of destruction and casualties across western North Carolina and the death toll continues to rise, relief efforts remain crucial.

Volunteers led by Terry Norris, executive director of Emerge Chaplains Response Team and Emerge Ministries in Beulaville, deployed to Black Mountain before the storm to help with relief efforts.

“This is our 21st mission and deployment for Emerge Ministries doing disaster relief. The Free Will Baptist organization has been kind enough to lend [the Cragmont Assembly facility] to use as the Emerge Chaplain’s Response Team command center,” said Norris during an interview.

While Helene came into the western NC region as a tropical storm, it brought so much torrential rain to an already sodded area that it caused significant flooding and landslides, swallowing entire neighborhoods under fast-moving water.

Norris told Duplin Journal that volunteers had tried to persuade people to evacuate, but some did not anticipate the severity of the situation and chose to remain. He recounted the story of two elderly people who had been friends for 50 years. Despite warnings, the two decided to stay to weather the storm. Sadly, one of them did not survive as their house was swept away by floodwaters and carried down the mountain into the river.

“Up in another hauler we went to, there was nephews and nieces and uncles, grandmas and grandpas and mothers and daughters, and there was about 30-40 of them that stayed up in one hauler, and they gathered up in the church, and it took the church — all of them are gone… There were some two-by-fours left in the trees, but the whole church was gone … no one was left alive,” said Norris, adding that they couldn’t even locate where the church used to be.

Norris told Duplin Journal that they started moving people away from the mountainsides on the first morning.

“When we got to moving around, we realized how massive it was,” said Norris. “I started calling in our partners all around the country trying to figure out how to get equipment and stuff in here,” said Norris, explaining that Emerge works with the Emergency Management Operations Office that partners with other North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster companies.

Currently, they are taking in about 100-150 volunteers a week, and about 20% are from Duplin County. Norris also shared that law enforcement mobilized volunteers from Lenoir, Onslow, and Wayne counties, to name a few. “Many of them were housed here so they could take a shower … I’ve got some that are here serving and working with the Pink Hill and Potters Hill fire departments,” said Norris.

“We worked with the head of emergency management out of Black Mountain. We coordinated with them, sent crews out with the town of Black Mountain and Montreat, and helped clear roads,” said Norris, adding that Emerge also partnered with the town to help them. “That’s how I got people in and out …. plus we have our chaplain’s passes and stuff where we can go across federal barricades. That helped us be able to maneuver people, and supplies where other people couldn’t.“

Last week, Norris told Duplin Journal they had crews doing cadaver searches and that the area was like a war zone from the devastation they were seeing on the ground. “The infrastructure there is totally destroyed.”

“We could smell [the cadavers], but we couldn’t find them; they’re just so deep. And then we’ve got people still floating up in the Tennessee River, where [communities] were swept into the rivers. We ain’t found nobody alive,” he said. “We have found people alive, but you don’t find them alive when they’re in those places. There have been a lot of rescues, though, and saved many lives. We are passing out supplies and feeding about 3,000 people a day on average.”

Norris told Duplin Journal that they chose to set up a command center there for its centric location, which provided more access.

“We were almost in the center between the bottom of Old Fort and Asheville. … and we were backed off the mountain out of the main roadway zone through 70. That way, we wouldn’t block traffic in town because it’s such a small town. They started turning people away because they were just coming and dropping stuff off in the middle of the street, and it just became a mess,” he said, explaining that at that point, people trying to help overwhelmed an already overwhelmed area because they went in without planning how they would get through or where they could drop off the supplies.

“We’ve honored the city and the process. I don’t want anybody to think we’ve been out here cowboying it and doing all this on our own,” said Norris, adding that he is extremely thankful for all the volunteers, donors, and their partners for enabling them to set up a command center there.

“We’re bringing in agriculture drones and have four-wheelers. Besides that, it’s making its way up different parts of the mountains to deliver food and water,” said Norris, explaining that the drones help deliver about 30-50 pounds of food and water to the most inaccessible areas.

“Some places the four-wheelers can’t even get to. So far, I’ve got two [drones] on their way,” said Norris, explaining the outpour of help they are getting through their website, from people donating their time and resources like the drones to support those who have lost everything.

To make a real difference, Norris emphasized the need for more volunteers to sign up through their website at Emerge for Unity.

“This will be a year-long process,” said Norris about the rebuilding efforts, adding that volunteers will play a crucial role in the journey. Norris collaborates with the Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders, a Christian volunteer organization, to provide support.

According to Norris, homeowners who rebuild with that organization can benefit from mortgages typically under $500. Additionally, those who opt for home repairs may have the remaining mortgage forgiven if they stay in the house for three years.

“Jimmy Carter helped them understand how to do that, just like Habitat for Humanity; that’s why I partner with them. They won’t move in for another month, but people will still volunteer through Emerge to get to them because I’ll vet the volunteers,” said Norris.

Amidst all the loss and the devastation, a common denominator Norris sees among the volunteers is that their personal encounters with a natural disaster and hardships have strengthened their resolve to make a meaningful impact. Their involvement is not just valuable; it’s crucial in the coming months.

As of press time they are feeding and supplying more than 7,000 people daily and need more volunteers. According to Norris, they are also starting to clean out the houses destroyed and will need all hands on deck. He also shared that they have enough supplies to last until Oct. 19, the date they have scheduled for the next mass delivery. Norris is asking the public who wishes to help to continue gathering supplies for the next delivery date.

Visit emerge4unity.org/helene-volunteer for more information on how you can help.