People find respite at Cleveland County shelter after Hurricane Helene

Billy Neely sits out in the corridor of the health department in a wheelchair, breathing in life saving oxygen, waiting for the lights to come back on at his house.

The Ellenboro man found himself at the Cleveland County emergency shelter after Hurricane Helene knocked out his power, and he was taken to the hospital. He said he is on oxygen 24-7 and his small portable tanks only last an hour or so. The hospital couldn't keep him so he was taken to Cleveland County.

"I made it to the hospital in time before I ran out," Neely said. "The ambulance had to zig zag down here."

He said road closures and fallen trees made it a challenge to reach the safety of the shelter.

He is grateful for the help, and said he has been treated well and the staff at the shelter have been very nice.

"It means a lot because I don't know what else I'd do," he said. "You can't get but so many of them portable tanks and they don't last long."

Heather Voyles, public health nursing director at the health department, said as of Monday, around 30 people had taken advantage of the emergency shelter, which the county opened Friday night.

She said some of those people were on oxygen and were referred by the hospital, others were there because they had no power or damage to their homes.

Monday, the health department was operating at partial capacity as it too was without power. Generators kept the lights on but weren't able to power the whole building.

"We try do what we can," she said.

Voyles said they had partnered with Atrium Health Cleveland to provide meals, and Red Cross and Salvation Army helped with snacks, water and staffing.

The health department also helped people obtain life-saving medication. She said they had a woman who needed insulin, and they were able to get her prescription transferred to the health department pharmacy. They helped a dialysis patient get to a dialysis clinic and provided a woman with a newborn special formula.

The shelter will continue to stay open as long as there is a need.

A phone bank to answer questions about available resources, such as gas and food, was also still operating and people can call 980-484-4636.

By Tuesday, Cleveland County Department of Social Services resumed operations and the health department programs, such as WIC, environmental health and the pharmacy were back up and running. Clinical services were limited, and people were advised to call 980-484-5100 to see if appointments were available. According to a release from the county, other programs, such as WIC, Environmental Health, and the Pharmacy, were operational as of Tuesday.

Most city and county offices resumed operations Tuesday.

The city of Shelby posted on Facebook that debris and trash collection would begin this week with Thursday's route picked up on Saturday. For more information, people can call public works at 704-484-6846.

As of Tuesday evening, around 82% of the power was restored in the city.

The city of Kings Mountain temporarily suspended solid waste services for the week to focus on recovery efforts, but according to a post on the city Facebook page, the city would provide waste containers for bagged household garbage at several locations, including Patriot Park, the Armory on Phifer Road, 708 York Road, Citizens Service Center at 1013 Piedmont and the Kings Mountain YMCA. Regular garbage collection is scheduled to resume Monday,

Landfills convenience centers were back open around the county beginning Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: People find respite at Cleveland County shelter after Hurricane Helene