Presbyterian Disaster Assistance volunteers in Western North Carolina ‘for the long haul’
A year after Hurricane Helene, some work is complete, but much remains to be done.
PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA — By Thanksgiving, Dr. Anne Waple says more than 450 Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) volunteers will have come to Western North Carolina to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene, which delivered a devastating blow to the region in late September 2024.
And they are just getting started.
While some work is complete, like Sue Green Lewis’ one-story family home in Clyde, other projects are just getting started or are yet to be scheduled.
“To just see the joy and help that our volunteer teams get to offer homeowners across the region is extraordinary to see,” says Waple, Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
Jordan Morris, a volunteer from Columbia, South Carolina, observes, “I didn't know that this existed. I didn't know that we had a relief group that I could join until this trip. And so, knowing that now, and knowing that we are not only a church body that preaches God's Word, but we're out here doing it, that means the world to me.”
Learn more about the work of PDA volunteers in Western North Carolina in this video and how you can get involved at pcusa.org/PDAvolunteersites.
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance volunteers in Western North Carolina in it ‘for the long haul’
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance volunteers in Western North Carolina in it ‘for the long haul’
Here is a transcript of the video:
Jordan Morris, volunteer from Columbia, South Carolina: I'm four hours into my first volunteering opportunity here with PDA, and I am loving it. I love what volunteering allows me to do. It allows me to go to places that you wouldn't normally get to go, to connect people and meet people where they're at, and those are the experiences that I want to know. I want to see what it's like, not just have to watch on the news and see their perspective. I like to come and get dirty, help — obviously — but help and be a part of the community that needs assistance.
Dr. Anne Waple, Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina: To just see the joy and help that our volunteer teams get to offer homeowners across the region is extraordinary to see. It isn't just about picking up a hammer and rebuilding houses, critical though that is. It is also about walking alongside our neighbors as they recover, and letting people know that they're not alone, and that help, by itself, is, from my perspective, the holiest of help.
Sue Green Lewis, Clyde, North Carolina resident whose home was flooded by Hurricane Helene:
I just felt totally defeated, and I knew I would have to rent a place and also keep the mortgage paid on this one, and I live on Social Security, disability. And on top of that, I have doctors bills, and I just thought there's no hope.
We had people here from Pennsylvania, New Jersey. God's got me. The people that came in here and prayed with me and for me and left prayers in my walls: How can I not be blessed?
Rev. Esta Jarrett, Pastor of Canton Presbyterian Church in Canton, North Carolina: In a moment of crisis, having PDA show up with all those wonderful blue T shirts and smiles and hugs and reassurances that we are together for the long haul, it is an incredible morale boost, even in the early days, when we don't know which end is up — to know that communities in crisis are not alone, people care and will continue to care.
Jordan Morris: Volunteering is the best way to connect with people where they're at, to grow yourself and grow the communities that you support and the communities that you want to be a part of.
Hope Lloyd, Volunteer from Laramie, Wyoming: I care a lot about this, this area, like this part of Appalachia. Yesterday, I was actually helping with the Mercy Chefs, which is a really cool organization, because they bring food out to the community. So, I helped them prep the food. And then today, I told my team, I really want to work on like an actual house. It just makes you feel like a part of something bigger.
Anne Waple: By about Thanksgiving, we will have had over 450 volunteers who have come through three host sites. First of all, we're so grateful to have three different host sites that we can use for this spread around the region. So, we've been able to touch seven counties with the volunteers and the help.
Esta Jarrett: Our partnership with PDA goes back decades. We experienced back-to-back disastrous floodings in 2004, and our church became a PDA host site after that. They came in and not only laid the groundwork for community resurgence and healing, but they renovated parts of our building to make us a comfortable, hospitable site for volunteers to come and stay.
Anne Waple: What we were able to then talk through with PDA and think about is not just the initial phase of getting people back into some secure housing, but the two and three and five years that it will take to get everyone back into their houses. And at the same time, think what it looks like to build a more resilient community over that time.
It isn't just about the physical infrastructure. It isn't just about getting the roof put back on. It is also about building community throughout that whole time.
Sue Green Lewis: This house was built with love, and it was put back together with love.
Jordan Morris: I didn't know that this existed. I didn't know that we had a relief group that I could join until this trip. And so, knowing that now, and knowing that we are not only a church body that preaches God's Word, but we're out here doing it, that means the world to me.
And that's where I know that our actions speak louder than our words.
This transcript was lightly edited for clarity.
More to watch:
Hope After Helene: Western North Carolina Reflects on the Anniversary of Hurricane Helene
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