Left in the eye of the storm of Helene
Feature photo by Riley Belle Kinard
Riley Belle Kinard, Visual Arts Editor
Hurricane Helene left a devastating mark on the community. Many woke up after the storm with no power, no hot water, trees uprooted out of the ground and major damage done to their homes. Along with the destruction Helene left behind, strong, vivid memories were also left with those who were affected.
Olivia Hall, junior accounting major, shared her strongest memory from the storm.
She said, “Being on Facebook and seeing how everyone was calling out for help in desperation is a memory I won’t forget. My mom prayed that the Lord would send her people that needed help. Less than a hour later, a lady called my mom asking us for help. We were able to let them stay with us and use our power and hot water. She ended up leaving her kids with us while she left to figure out how to get insulin for her mom. It was a very eye opening experience because everyone needed help. We were so blessed being able to help those with the resources we had.”
Photo courtesy of Olivia Hall
Grace Thompson, freshman Christian studies major, had a tree fall in her backyard and on the edge of her roof.
“My strongest memory of the storm was when me and my family were all together in what we hoped was the safest part of the house, and we started to hear the cracking of a tree falling. We all ran to the entry way of our house and the tree fell on our house and made a really loud sound.”
Photo courtesy of Grace Thompson
Madeline Holsenback, sophomore interdisciplinary major, woke up and saw a tree that was so close to falling on her house.
“When woke up after the storm, I realized we didn’t have power. I kept getting tornado warnings, so I was more worried about that.”
Photo courtesy of Madeline Holsenback
Avriel Maddox, freshman communication major, was still on campus after the storm.
“I woke up and I was devastated. We had no hot water and it was completely dark in my room. I walked outside and my car was covered in limbs and trees. And then I looked across the street and saw the tree down. While driving to Publix, we had to drive over multiple power lines. When my friends and I made it to the store, the food was so scarce.”
Photo courtesy of Avriel Maddox
Mattie Padgett, sophomore elementary education major, was planning to leave for a golf tournament the weekend of the storm.
“I had prepared for a golf tournament all week and due to the damage that the storm caused, the tournament was canceled two days prior to us having to be there. There were multiple trees covering the course and there wasn’t any power.”
Photo courtesy of Mattie Padgett
Rachel Forester, sophomore theatre major, was on campus away from her family who live in Swannanoa when the storm hit the area.
“My strongest memory was from the Friday that hurricane hit. I was standing outside with my friends by the volleyball court trying to get ahold of our families. I’d been able to text them that morning and knew that they had to evacuate from our house, but couldn’t contact them after that. All I could do was keep trying to call or text and worry if they were ok or not. Seeing pictures and videos of the destruction in Asheville and my hometown, Swannanoa, on Instagram didn’t help whatsoever. It was on Saturday that my brother called and said my parents and (other) sister were fine, but the first floor of our house was flooded. To know that they were ok was such a relief, but that the house and Swannanoa dealt irreparable damage, heartbreaking.”
Photo courtesy of Rachel Forester
North Greenville English professor Becky Thompson had a tree fall on her house, resulting in major damage.
She said, “I had been awake that Friday morning; it was around 7:15 or so. I thought I’d go back to bed (as the storm was strong, but nothing incredibly worrying at that point). Approximately ten minutes later, the house began to shake—particularly the wall right behind my head. There was a terribly loud noise, and about thirty seconds later, a tree burst through my ceiling not even two feet from my head. (This huge tree had fallen through all of the rafters and attic and such—and had made it through to my room.) Water was immediately pouring into the room, and the race was on to save as much as we could.”
Dr. Thompson is incredibly thankful for how the Lord protected her during the storm.
“How exceptionally grateful I am for God’s protection in what could have been devastating. I lost some possessions (even some of my precious books—which I love, of course), but it’s nothing compared to what it could have been. There’s a team of men working on the roof at this very moment: their hammering and nailing and restoring what we lost represent reassurance to me that my Heavenly Father always provides, and His sovereignty clearly demonstrates that He knows best,” Thompson said.
Photo courtesy of Becky Thompson
Helene left so many in our community in complete devastation and did more destruction than any of us could have expected.
