On Sept. 27 Hurricane Helene swept across western North Carolina at the category of a tropical storm, leaving communities and homes devastated. The strong winds and record-high flooding greatly impacted the campus of Appalachian State University. The University announced they would be closed until Oct. 16, but the dining hall and dorms would stay open. Helene’s toll of destruction on the campus and around the Boone area left Wakefield alumni who are current Appalachian State University students in complete shock and disarray.
Millie Monahan, a sophomore, was surprised by the extent of the storm’s devastation. She awoke surprised on the morning of Sept. 27, seeing pictures on social media of flooded apartments, sinkholes and people evacuating. Monahan was thankfully able to evacuate the dangerous area early the next day. Monahan notes how the community came together and worked to clean up the campus.
“People started giving free rides to places, started making meals for people and started bringing supplies back from their hometowns,” Monahan said. “There are so many people offering to help volunteer. I heard that the Red Cross, which set up a shelter at the Convocation Center, had to start turning away volunteers because they had so many.”
Monahan also emphasizes her worries about returning back to learning. Many kids lost everything, including their computers and notes. But these students are paying for their education, taking classes necessary for their future, meaning they must return to school as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, college classes cannot just be swept under the rug, we can’t just slap a “pass” on everyone and move on to the next semester,” Monahan said. “I’m very interested to see how [Appalachian State University] handles this because it’s going to be a long time for some kids before school is on their priorities list again.”
Student Body President and senior at Appalachian State University, Kathryn Long emphasizes the difficulty of this situation, having to strike a balance between her needs as a student but also her duties as President. Her responsibility of 21,000 students allowed her to learn and to see her town band together.
“Trying to support others while you’re hurting is difficult but I am learning and growing a lot through this experience,” Long said. “I can look back and remember all the hope that I felt and the way I saw the community come together.”
Long experienced the fury of Helene from the college campus and was able to stay up to date with severe weather notifications. The university has an alert system, which is run by the school and the county. Long explains the importance of this line of communication.
“Internet and service went out, but the messages were coming through and that was really helpful,” Long said. “We were able to get our flash flood warnings and water advisories.”
Helene brought hazardous winds, mudslides and extreme flooding to the mountains of North Carolina. The images of fallen trees, sinkholes and flooded parking lots are forever engraved into the community’s minds. Wakefield graduate and freshman at Appalachian State University, Molly Smith recalls seeing a specific scene.
“There was an expression tunnel that was flooded all the way up to your waist so you couldn’t make it from east to west campus,” Smith said. “You couldn’t even walk on the streets, they were so flooded you’d fall over.”
Another Wakefield alumni and freshman at Appalachian State University, Grace Teter, has found a new perspective on natural disasters after Helene. With all the damage she endured, Teter has learned that the mountains are very susceptible to harm from heavy rain. She shares how she plans to keep an eye on future storms to stay safe.
“I will definitely be keeping a better watch on the stormy weather, especially through the next few years of storm seasons,” Teter said. “This way I will be better prepared for the supplies that I need and the actions I need to take.”
While these events were tragic and saddening, the way the city of Boone came together demonstrates the strength and resilience of its members. Staff, students and other civilians alike dropped everything to be there for one another in these hard times.
“The dining hall at [Appalachian State University] is feeding most of Boone right now for a lot of people who lost everything,” Smith said. “Sororities and fraternities are coming together, raising GoFundMes for people who lost everything, [the hurricane] brought a lot of people closer together.”
