Hurricane Helene Devastation: Impact on Travel and Mountain Aire Regions
Samaritan’s Purse is actively responding across four states hit hard by Hurricane Helene. The storm carved a path of destruction from the Florida coast to the mountains of North Carolina. Helene brought extreme rainfall and flash flooding to western North Carolina, leaving areas in ruins. Amidst this devastation, communities, including those potentially housing residents in structures like a 91 Newnan Mountain Aire travel trailer floor plan, face immense challenges from downed trees, floods, road damage, and utility loss.
Relief Efforts Begin in North Carolina Mountains
Helene severely impacted western North Carolina, with extreme rainfall measuring over 2 feet in certain areas and causing devastating flash flooding. Some parts of the region are in ruins. Samaritan’s Purse is providing relief in the mountains of Watauga County, North Carolina, the location of its international headquarters in Boone. The town and surrounding areas have been particularly hard-hit by toppled trees, flooding, road damage, and loss of power and water. This response extends to include neighboring counties in North Carolina (Ashe, Avery) and eastern Tennessee (Johnson), with the church base at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone.
Samaritan's Purse volunteers clear debris after Hurricane Helene in Boone, North Carolina Mountain Aire region
Southwest of Boone, rivers overflowed their banks, causing widespread destruction in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. Significant stretches of the interstate artery I-40 are closed after sections were washed out. The response there is focused on Buncombe County, encompassing Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat, and Swannanoa. The base is the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove.
Volunteers cutting trees in Buncombe County, North Carolina, heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene
Samaritan's Purse volunteers pray with homeowners affected by Hurricane Helene in the Asheville, NC area
Home damaged by a large tree after Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, showing typical storm impact
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham commented on Facebook, “Samaritan’s Purse responds to help with storms and crises around the world every day, but now the storm has hit in our own backyard. Hurricane Helene slammed western North Carolina and the surrounding area, as well as Georgia and Florida. Homes have been flooded and some even washed away, trees are down, tens of thousands are still without power. We would be grateful for your prayers for all those affected by this storm.”
Samaritan’s Purse is also addressing some of the many medical needs in western North Carolina. A 20-bed Emergency Field Hospital, designed as an emergency room triage unit, has been deployed at Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville (Avery County). This facility, requested by the Appalachian Regional Health System/UNC Health System, is staffed by Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) medical personnel. Search-and-rescue teams are searching Avery County and anticipate an influx of injured individuals. Oxygen is also being supplied at various locations to support those who have power at home.
Samaritan's Purse helicopter airlifts food and water to a community isolated by Hurricane Helene flooding
Many communities in the High Country of North Carolina and far eastern Tennessee are cut off due to damaged roads, downed trees, and flooding. Samaritan’s Purse is coordinating air relief to some of these locations, delivering basic necessities to those in dire need using its own helicopter and aircraft from other organizations. The organization is working through local contacts, including Operation Christmas Child partner churches, to identify suffering individuals and respond as requested. Aid, including food and water, has been successfully delivered to those isolated by the storm.
US Disaster Relief truck arrives at a partner church base in North Carolina for Hurricane Helene response
Response Extends to Florida and Georgia
Samaritan’s Purse also has two U.S. Disaster Relief bases in Florida and one in Georgia. One response site is in Perry, Florida, where the storm made landfall with 140-mph winds along the Big Bend. Helene struck late on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit the area in recorded history. The Perry base is at Calvary Baptist Church. Response is also underway in greater Tampa, Florida, where thousands of homes have been flooded. The Canadian affiliate office is supporting this site. The base is Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg in Pinellas Park.
South Georgia was also heavily impacted, and a base has been established in Valdosta at the partner congregation, Morningside Baptist Church.
Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove serving as a base for Hurricane Helene relief in Buncombe County, NC
Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief staff members are on the ground in all five locations. They are partnering with local churches to field teams assisting affected homeowners. Volunteers are helping to mud out homes, cut downed trees, tarp roofs, and remove debris to help families recover from this historic crisis. The storm’s impact wasn’t limited to permanent structures; many residents in the affected areas rely on mobile homes and travel trailers, where damage, including to specific models like a 91 Newnan Mountain Aire with its unique floor plan, adds complexity to the recovery efforts.
[internal_links]Volunteers Make a Difference
Day and overnight volunteers began serving on Sept. 30 in all locations. Information on how to volunteer is available at spvolunteer.org. Prayerful consideration for serving is encouraged, as many volunteers are needed to act as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to help those in need.
On the first day of volunteering in Valdosta, teams assisted Mariah Mitchell, 80, a retired kindergarten teacher. She described the event as the worst she had ever seen but said she wasn’t afraid during the storm, praying Psalm 91 over her home and trusting in the Lord’s presence. A tree fell on her home, and Samaritan’s Purse volunteers cleared it and tarped the damage.
Reflecting on the help received, she stated, “They’ve been really, really blessing me. The Lord sent them, because I need them. He knew I needed them.” She added, “Ya’ll came a long way to help me, and I don’t take it for granted.”
Samaritan's Purse staff member prays with homeowner Mariah Mitchell in Valdosta, Georgia, impacted by Hurricane Helene
The sheer size of Hurricane Helene, one of the largest Gulf storms in the past century, was remarkable, with a wind field spanning hundreds of miles, partly explaining the extensive geographic damage.
President Donald Trump and Franklin Graham survey Hurricane Helene devastation in Valdosta, Georgia
Please pray for all communities in the path of this massive storm as they recover and as relief efforts continue. More than 160 storm-related deaths have been reported, with many still missing; please keep affected families in your prayers. This is the second deadliest storm to hit the mainland United States over the past 50 years, leaving challenges for all residents, including those navigating the complexities of damage to various property types, potentially even assessing impact on structures like a 91 Newnan Mountain Aire travel trailer floor plan.
Note: This story was originally published on Sept. 26 and has been revised continuously. It is accurate through Oct. 2.
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Image representing US Disaster Relief efforts by Samaritan's Purse
A gift to U.S. Disaster Relief equips Samaritan’s Purse to respond to natural disasters across the nation. Samaritan’s Purse mobilizes thousands of volunteers to provide emergency relief to survivors of floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes. They bring comfort and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the aftermath of major storms, they often stay to rebuild houses for those with nowhere else to turn for help.
