The call for help first went out late last week when Bobby VanBlarcom heard about the havoc that Hurricane Helene had wreaked upon the southern United States.
A 1999 graduate of Honesdale High School who's worked for 16 years at Marshall Machinery, VanBlarcom took one look at the devastation and knew he had to act.
“I couldn't believe what I was seeing,” Bobby said. “There was no way I was just going to sit here and do nothing, but I had to figure something out.”
People helping people
What VanBlarcom decided to do was start making phone calls. He reached out to family, friends and co-workers to see what could be done.
By Friday afternoon, a plan was starting to come into focus.
VanBlarcom and his hastily-assembled crew would set up a spot for donations. They'd acquire a couple of trailers and see how much they could cram into them … everything from bottled water and non-perishables, to cleaning supplies, clothing and pet food.
Top Notch Distributors in Honesdale made one of their parking lots available as a rallying point. That's when a social media post was composed. Anyone wishing to help out could show up from 4 to 9 p.m.
Incredibly, in just a few hours, that post had gone viral. Thousands of people viewed it. More than 800 shared it. And folks quickly started swarming the Top Notch lot.
“There were people already there at two o'clock, and they just kept coming,” Bobby said. “By a little after four I was worried we'd have more than two trailers could hold.”
As it turned out, everything eventually fell into place. Two trailers did the trick, and he'd drive one of them personally.
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VanBlarcom went home, grabbed a couple hours of sleep, then hopped into the cab for an epic journey that lasted more than 10 hours.
He arrived at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina at 9 p.m. Tuesday and was greeted enthusiastically by members of the National Guard, Speedway employees and volunteers.
“Great people,” Bobby said. “They were happy to see me and so grateful. We shared a few stories, shook hands and then I was on my way back home.”
All told, VanBlarcom's trip lasted more than 20 hours and covered 1,200 miles. It was a journey he'll never forget.
“I'm not usually an emotional guy, but this was definitely a life-altering experience for me,” Bobby said. “The local folks here at home who came out to help were just amazing. I'll never forget it.”
An epic hayride
Andy Diehl lives in Tyler Hill. He's a 1988 Honesdale grad who's been driving truck for 36 years.
Diehl was one of the first people VanBlarcom reached out to with his idea, and he didn't hesitate for a second to join the cause.
“I was in,” Andy said. “I definitely wanted to help as soon as I heard.”
Diehl hooked his cab up to a trailer provided by Ron and Bobby Welsh. Charlie Macpeek Jr., who also works at Marshall's, jumped right in as well.
Macpeek has a farm in Rutledgedale and he offered to donate the load of hay, which consisted of 46 round bales.
After helping out at Top Notch Monday evening, Diehl also went home for a bit of sleep. However, he was at the Macpeek farm by 7 a.m. Tuesday and on the road by 10.
Unlike the other two trailers, Diehl's wasn't bound for North Carolina. His final destination was another family farm, this one located outside the small town of Irwin, Tennessee.
“They lost pretty much everything,” Andy said. “Over a thousand bales of hay, two tractors and other equipment just swept away. They were in bad shape.”
Diehl received an official escort to the farm, creeping warily along washed-out roads and around countless mudslides. When he finally arrived on the scene, farm owner John Hilemon was exhausted but ecstatic.
“He was so happy to see me,” Andy said. “They have over 600 head of beef cattle and almost nothing to feed them.”
Like VanBlarcom, Diehl found the experience to be emotional and life-changing.
“It was overwhelming,” Andy said. “Some of the stuff I saw made me want to cry. But, the best part was seeing all the good in people. You could tell that some of them who showed up to donate stuff didn't have a lot themselves. But they were right there anyway. That was great.”
Overwhelming experience
Chris Hall lives in Equinunk. He graduated from Eldred High School in 2002 and is a fire fighter at Stewart Airport.
Hall saw VanBlarcom's post on social media and leapt into action. He was the first to depart Wayne County, leaving Honesdale late Monday night.
Hall drove his trailer, which was packed with clothing and cleaning supplies, 10-plus hours to North Carolina accompanied by Dan Brown and Steve Szymanek.
When the trio arrived, they were immediately escorted to a small community just outside Hendersonville that had been particularly hard hit.
“It's tough to describe,” Chris said of the utter destruction caused by more than 20 inches of rain that fell in less than a day. “Everything was pretty much destroyed. Those people were so happy when they saw us pull in. Their gratitude was overwhelming.”
Hall returned home Tuesday and is already planning another trip on Saturday with whatever supplies he can gather up.
“We're probably going to stay for a few days and help out,” Chris said. “The County Manager told us that they're expecting 10 aircraft full of stuff this weekend. So we're going to pitch in to help with the unloading and distribution.”
Because it's the right thing
One of the most amazing aspects of living in a small town is watching folks come together to help in times of crisis.
I've lived here all my life and spent the last three decades writing about ordinary people who time and again display an astonishing capacity for empathy.
Listening to Bobby VanBlarcom, Andy Diehl and Chris Hall tell their stories reminds me once more of all that's good and true and noble about this country.
When the chips are truly down, when people … often times people we don't even know and will probably never meet … cry out for help, we spring into action. We don't stop to ask why, we just do it simply because it's the right thing.
VanBlarcom summed it all up perfectly when he told me quietly and earnestly: “The true heroes of this whole mission are the local folks and businesses who so quickly and graciously donated equipment, supplies and their time. I can't thank them enough.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wayne County Wanderings: Local folks rally to help victims of Hurricane Helene
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