Hurricane Helene
Indiana watching the storm as it passes
Helene Part 1: Braving The Storm
We began to notice the effects of Hurricane Helene early on Friday, Sept 27th. Our power went out around 6 AM and didn’t return until late Sunday evening. Honestly, camping out isn’t so bad, but with four kids and a dog, it can be taxing. At the time, the power seemed like it wouldn’t be restored for a while and more importantly the surrounding area was experiencing shortages. We toughed it out for 24 hours, but the kids were getting aggravated so we decided to pack up real quick and head to the beach. That turned out to be a good decision, most of the Upstate is still struggling with power and shortages. It truly felt like a war zone in the Upstate. As always, try to make lemonade out of lemons right? We used the opportunity to clean up (play with) fallen branches and explore the damage to Williamston. After the novelty of that wore off, we packed and left.
The worst part of the story was that Sydney was in Asheville, and I hadn’t heard from her in over 24 hours and she hadn’t heard from me. You can imagine how horrifying that must’ve been for both of us.
Helene Part 2: Leaving Town
As I mentioned earlier, Sydney was out of town for the weekend. She went up with her sisters to Weaverville (right outside of Asheville, NC) for a Bachelorette party on Thursday. They were shut in and had no power, WiFi, or cell service. I lost contact with Sydney on Friday and didn’t hear anything until 24 hours later.
As I was packing up the car I got a call from Sydney. Luckily they were all safe and found a way to get out, and met us at the beach around 9:30 PM. Not knowing where she was or how she was doing was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced. I was so relieved to hold her when I saw her. At the same time, all of the emotions began to well up inside me. I realized that several people would not have the same experience that I did. My heart is truly broken for all of the losses that people are experiencing now.
We made it safely to Mimi and Papa’s and we’re grateful for all the little things, like AC and old PlayStations. Today we are counting our blessings but also grieving for all of those who have lost loved ones or homes to return to. There are still many people displaced and wondering what their next steps will be. For now, we must pray and support as best we can. Here is a list of some of the organizations that are doing good work to help those devastated by Helene. If you know of other organizations please leave a comment below.
Hurricane Support:
