Stepping up when they're needed the most. The scene in western North Carolina right now is completely devastating — there's really no other way to put it. Hurricane Helene came through the southeast on Thursday and Friday, wreaking havoc on Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and other states in its path. But the scene in the southern Appalachian mountains of North Carolina is utterly heartbreaking. Over a foot of rain fell on cities like Asheville, which had over 14 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday. Some areas like Busick received nearly 31 inches, and Spruce Pine had 24.12 inches through 8AM Saturday. Catastrophic flash flooding, mud slides, and downed trees took out homes, cars, and even entire towns in some cases. Very sadly, a total of at least 119 people have died so far from Helene in multiple different states, and that will only continue to rise as water recedes and emergency workers can continue to assess the tragic situation. Towns like Chimney Rock and Old Fort look to simply be gone, leaving only rubble and devastation behind:
You can see Lake Lure (where
Dirty Dancing was filmed), filled with debris from people's homes. In some cases, it could be remnants of entire houses or other business buildings: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAb12BcRCKo/ Asheville, the biggest city in the North Carolina mountains, was hit extremely hard, and many of the more remote, more rural areas nearby look as bad or so much worse: The terrain in this part of the state is mountainous, and many people live in extremely remote areas that are tough enough to get to as it is. Many of them have been without power, water and cell service for days now, and it's beyond heartbreaking. There's really no words to describe how dire and bad it is. I feel extremely thankful and blessed that my family, friends and friends of friends in the path of Helene, some of them in the worst hit towns and cities, have minimal damage and are going to be okay. So many others won't have the same fate, and it's horribly gut-wrenching. It seems like many outside of this region don't fully understand the scope of what's going on, so I want to stress that the people on this region, and the surrounding areas like our neighbors in east Tennessee, need help, and they need it now. It will take years to rebuild what has been lost, and in some cases, rebuilding will likely be impossible. But there is hope, and so many have stepped up to help by donating money, time and even resources to those in need, including NASCAR owners Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick, who are using their private helicopters and plans to assist in recovery efforts however they can: Driver Greg Biffle is also helping organize donations and flying them to areas of western North Carolina that are only accessible via air... and that's an incredibly large part of the region at the moment due to many road closures. Almost every major highway, and many main roads, and obviously back roads, in these towns, are closed and will continue to be for the days and weeks to come: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAgrGz4vZ6T/ Heather Gibbs, wife of the late Coy Gibbs and daughter-in-law to Joe, shared photos of their team on the helicopter heading out: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAjCM6YJGdH/ Joe Gibbs Racing is also accepting donations at their local race office in Huntersville, North Carolina if you're in the Lake Norman area and want to help out: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAjE74eRMAx/ I'm sure, and I hope, people all over the country have seen footage from the aftermath of Helene in North Carolina specifically, but other states as well. It's unbelievable what has happened here, but mountain people are strong, resourceful and resilient and will come together to help each other however possible, that I know to be a fact. And I'm certainly not surprised at all to see the NASCAR community step up like this. The mountains here, as well as the foothills, are integral to the sport that started in the hills and hollers that have been so devastated. Charlotte Motor Speedway has opened their land and space to those assisting with relief efforts, and North Wilkesboro Speedway is collecting items to donate and take to those higher up in the NC mountains. Parts of Wilkes county were hit very hard, but it's a huge county, and many didn't experience anything like what so many did right down the road: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAjP4CfPeXA/ A huge thank you to everyone who was offered anything to our beautiful Appalachian mountains, whether it was a prayer, donation, or anything else. It's going to be a long road to recovery, and we need all the help we can get. If you feel led to donate, no matter the amount,
Samaritan's Purse is headquartered in Boone, and already has boots on the ground with volunteers and employees helping with relief efforts. Other great places to donate include the
Manna FoodBank in Asheville,
Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina and
Feeding Avery Families , just to name a few.
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