EM's Missions Program Director Autumn Zimmerman spent the last week in the mountains of Western North Carolina, seeing firsthand the destruction brought about by Hurricane Helene in September. The following is her honest reflection after families and partners opened up their lives and homes to EM staff, sharing their stories of loss and hope.
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I’m not sure I can quite put into words what I have seen and experienced the last few days.
Throughout my life, there have been so many natural disasters of varying levels of tragic. Each person affected is never the same after the disaster. You can’t really compare them because, to each person, it is their life. It’s real.
As we entered this trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect. We had heard that rivers and streams had been completely re-routed by flood waters. They have been. We had heard that some hollows and valleys had the smell of death. Yes, though fading it’s still there. We had heard there could be upwards of thousands of people buried in mudslides. It’s quite possible that’s still true. We had heard the plumbing systems of entire towns had been washed away. It’s true, with sewage flowing into the river systems. We had heard story after story of people escaping the waters in their attic or by climbing up the mountains to get away from the rising rivers. Desperate to live, they did what they had to in order to survive.
I knew that for the people affected, time has stood still. What I didn’t think about, is the people whose lives can’t stand still. The cancer patients whose treatments need to continue. The child who needs the security of school because their homes aren’t safe. The enormity of it all is heartbreaking.
They had no warning. It was the wee hours of the morning for many people on Friday, September 27, when the flood waters began rising so swiftly there was not much margin for escape.
This is the mountains of North Carolina. You would never expect a hurricane to bring this kind of mass destruction.
As we have driven from mountain town to mountain town this week, our new partners in relief ministry Sheeanah & Bryan Puryear have recounted story after story of the big and small ways God has shown up here. For them, it began with a plea for help to a relative of Sheeanah’s through a text message... "if you are getting this message, we need help!" A plea from someone desperate for help sent to someone with open ears and hands. Now, a daily food operation is running out of a local cafeteria where over 1,000 people are being fed daily. People opening up their heart and homes: it’s powerful. People giving whatever they have, even if they are in need themselves.
We have driven hours upon hours through the mountains of Mitchell & Yancy County. We have driven along the river and witnessed the raw power of nature. The pure strength of the water leveling homes. Washing away anything in its path, including things thought immovable, like railroad tracks and water towers. Miles of debris. Mud everywhere. Things that were once treasures to someone now quite literally caught up in trees. It’s astonishing, really. And sobering.
And yet, here we are in these gorgeous mountains. The leaves are turning right now. It’s a reminder of how beauty and pain can co-exist. It’s a reminder of how short life is. It’s a reminder to hug your loved ones and cherish what you have. It’s a reminder to love your neighbor and give even when you don’t have enough. But most of all it’s a reminder that nothing is a surprise to God and even though there is pain, we are not forgotten and God is here with us in the pain.
When we see things like this happen from afar, we are moved to help. To love our neighbors, wherever they are. To love without limits as a response to the God who loves us. To "bring Jesus" to those in need. But if and when you show up, you'll find Jesus is already here. He’s already working. Sustaining people who have lost so much. Providing meals neighbor to neighbor. Giving a hug through a stranger. Showing up through the sacrifice of every person who comes to help and serve.
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Want to make a difference in the lives of people recovering from the biggest disaster of their lives? Sign up for North Carolina Relief Mission Trips in 2025!
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