Hurricane Helene – RedRover Responders In Action
November 1st, 2024
By Beth Gammie, Director of Field Services, and Devon Krusko, Field Services and Community Programs Manager –
BETH’S STORY
RedRover deployed a small team of volunteers to North Carolina at the request of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to help people and animals impacted by Hurricane Helene. We first helped at a large evacuation shelter just south of Asheville. This had over 300 people, and many had pets and service animals. Our team helped with daily care, offering support to pet parents, and managing supplies. It was obvious how traumatized the people were, and how grateful they were that there was space at the shelter for their animals. I of course had followed news of the horrendous impact Helene had on Western North Carolina, and have been through plenty of disasters, but this destruction was surreal.
We encountered a complete lack of cell phone service, cash only at any businesses that were open, roads closed, curfews, and hours-long waits at gas stations. The conditions on the ground were really challenging, but our RedRover Responders volunteers rolled with it and kept a great attitude throughout. From there, the state asked us to help stand up a new pet-friendly shelter outside of the impact area, north of Charlotte. The conditions were night and day, and we were soon relieved to have power, cell signal, and other services back. We got the shelter set up, and successfully handed over care to local animal shelter folks when our deployment ended.
DEVON’S STORY
I arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina just 72 hours-post Helene. I filled my rental car with food, water, flashlights, and batteries. There was no power and no cell phone service as far as an hour out of the area I was heading to. In addition, navigating directions and closed roads without the typical help from technology proved to be challenging, and I ended up scribbling down highway routes and street names on a piece of scratch paper to be able to find my way around and back. Getting gas or food required cash and waiting in line for hours. I met many families that were stuck simply because they didn’t have any – and accessing an ATM wasn’t an option.
When I got to the emergency shelter in Fletcher, North Carolina, there was a sense of relief. A T-Mobile truck was stationed to provide power and internet, portable toilets lined the parking lot, and mobile showers were in the process of being set up. People arrived with nothing, covered in mud, and missing their shoes. I watched a couple drying out family photos on the hood of their car, holding on as tightly as they could to precious memories. At night I would walk around and give an evening treat to the pups, pausing to see immense love between an owner and his two dogs cuddled up sharing a single cot: one in the nook of his chest, and the other between his knees. In between the suffering, bright spots emerged – people coming together in community, laughing when playing a card game, and the pure delight of a hot meal and a shower. I was honored to play a small role in offering support.
