What people in Western North Carolina had to say as supplies arrived by helicopter

Thursday, Oct. 3, was the first time Loretta Zahn, 60, was able to speak with her husband since the storm knocked out cell phone service and electricity in Mitchell County . It was difficult, she said.

She and her neighbors watched as helicopters landed near their homes in the Poplar area to deliver food, water and a temporary satellite that would give the couple the connection they needed to confirm they were each safe.

Like many other areas in Western North Carolina , Poplar is depending on these airdrops from the National Guard, or Amazon in the case of the satellite, as many roads were destroyed by Hurricane Helene and have cut them off.

Zahn stayed in Spruce Pine for several days after the storm hit because the roads weren’t clear.

“It was treacherous,” she said. “It was like a war zone.”

The Charlotte Observer spoke with people in two communities hit by Helene’s flooding while traveling with the National Guard as soldiers delivered supplies, flying from Salisbury.

Clearing the roads has “all been done by the locals right here,” said Jody Murphy, 52, who watched the helicopters arrive with his son Jett, 24, and Zahn. People used their machinery, he said.

Murphy said his home wasn’t destroyed but his property was.

On the day of the storm, it took three hours for his other son to get home, Murphy said.

“I had to go out and help him home,” he said. “Every way we went was washed out, but we finally got him home safe. And then the eye of the storm come over less than an hour later.”

He said he was thankful for the National Guard bringing supplies, but felt frustrated by the response, or lack thereof, by the state and his county officials.

When National Guardsmen or other disaster response teams land in towns, they make lists of supplies the town needs.

Murphy and Zahn said they hoped the National Guard would bring heaters to keep them warm as temperatures begin to drop, as well as generators and a way to cook food.

“We need diesel fuel for our workers. Our guys are using their own equipment,” Murphy said. “We need regular fuel for generators.”

They’ve been told it would take about eight months before things were back to “normal,” but they didn’t seem confident about that outlook.

‘God is good, mountain people are strong’

Earlier on Thursday, residents in Buladean, another small community in Mitchell County, watched as the National Guard landed on a baseball field to deliver food and water.

Ray Honeycutt, 70, said the days since the storm had been tough, but watching the helicopters land and take off with his 3-year-old grandson Mason brought excitement.

He said his home was undamaged by the storm and he didn’t lose any loved ones.

The lifelong Buladean resident said the experience brought him back to his childhood.

“I was raised up without any water in the house,” he said. “I didn’t have no inside plumbing or nothing.”

David Caughroun, 76, who has lived in the area most of his life, watched the helicopter land. He, like many others, began volunteering to clean the area as soon as the storm passed.

Caughroun said he didn’t know many of the people volunteering alongside him but still felt close with them.

“It’s been rough, but could have been a lot worse,” said Caughroun, whose home was undamaged and loved ones were safe. “God took care of us.”

One man bagged debris kicked up by the helicopter’s propellers. He said local people are using chainsaws to cut fallen trees and clear roads.

Like Poplar, people in Buladean requested specific items: baby formula, insulin, and chainsaws.

The time it will take for the area to recover seems unclear, residents said. They’ve heard one to three months.

But Becky Garland and Kathy Jenkins, friends who were helping clean up the debris in Buladean, said they’re confident their community will pull through.

Garland’s homes and loved ones were not harmed by the storm. Jenkins’ home and loved ones were safe, but the storm destroyed her son’s home, she said.

Despite that, they both remain optimistic.

“God is good, mountain people are strong,” Garland said. “We need help, but we’ll be all right.”