Between Sept. 25 and Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene hit the Western part of North Carolina, devastating the region, as addressed by CBS News. Areas like Asheville and Boone were hit with extensive flooding. The highest current estimated rainfall was in Busick with 31 inches of rain on Sept. 30, according to the North Carolina State Climate Office affiliated with NC State University . All over the region, residents have shared their experiences with the storm, detailing buildings destroyed, property lost and people endangered, to name a few. The Herald reached out and spoke to a student who has been impacted by Hurricane Helene.
While Meredith itself was not located in the most impacted regions of the state, many students have been impacted, knowing people directly affected or potentially having homes in affected areas. Sophia Bateman, ‘27, is a clear example of a distant yet still heavily affected student, being a Boone native studying abroad in Italy for the semester.
Bateman shared some of the challenges with regards to being far from home, approximately 4,724 miles away, in the wake of a natural disaster affecting her family.. According to Bateman, she didn’t expect Boone to be hit as hard as it was, considering its high altitude. She shared that it is “ hard to believe that somewhere that high in elevation and so far from any coastline could ever receive such damage as Hurricane Helene caused.”
Bateman added that she has faced a “real challenge navigating the heavy emotions that have come with the circumstances,” noting how she felt the true harshness of the situation only in the aftermath.
Bateman reminisced on her experiences in Boone and noted some of her activities, including the places she visited, the strolls on roads she knew, and her summer on the river, all of which are “ unrecognizable now.”
NBC News has been reporting live updates. As of Oct. 3, it is estimated that more than 215 people have died and more than half of those deaths have been in North Carolina. It is also reported that more than 1000 National Guards have been deployed to provide resources to isolated communities. Bateman addressed how she has chosen to focus on the steps being taken to resolve the situation, and has taken measures to remove herself from social media posts about Helene, in order to avoid overwhelm. Bateman shared that her loved ones are safe and that Boone has already begun an extensive effort to rebuild after the tragedy. Fundraising has been incredibly successful according to Bateman, and she thanks her tight-knit community for this. Apparently, a Red Cross link that aimed to financially support Boone had seen “$25,000 raised to over $350,000” within 24 hours, according to Bateman. She notes that this fundraising was likely impacted by Appalachian State University. “Fortunately, because of the University, Boone is going to be one of the lucky cities/counties to receive funding, . . . but unfortunately, there have been significant damages to parts of the county that will receive less funding…”
Bateman hopes that Boone will change the way that it builds infrastructure in the future as a result of Helene. She hopes that bridges will be better reinforced and that “better drainage” will be discussed in future city plans. One large question that Bateman anticipates is whether or not property owners will want to rebuild along rivers–a common choice in Boone.
“It’s unlikely that businesses and homeowners will want to build anything that close to the river again, although prior to Hurricane Helene riverfront properties [were] about the best thing a person could have in Watauga,” she said.
Ultimately, only time can tell how the western side of our state will fare as a result of Hurricane Helene. Meredith College has already begun to organize efforts to aid where possible , with Dean of Students Ann Gleason stating in an email to the Meredith community that “Chaplain Pardue and Kacey Reynolds Schedler from the Office of Student Leadership and Service are also working on a plan to coordinate a donation drive to collect donated items on campus.”
With respect to other ways to contribute and help, there are many resources online, including The American Red Cross, which is a helpful resource for finding ways to contribute. For updates on the ongoing efforts and circumstances, NBC News is providing live coverage.
By Ericka Hewitt, Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of Ellie Penton
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