By Amanda Stanley
The true character of a person shines when he or she is faced with difficulty. Some people wallow in the hardship, while others do whatever they can to lift themselves and their community out of their circumstances. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the true character of people all over the state continues to shine brightly through acts of kindness, generosity, and brotherly love.
At the end of September 2024, the southeastern United States was devastated by Hurricane Helene, a category 4 hurricane. In North Carolina alone, more than 99 people lost their lives and some people are still missing. Helene hit the western part of the state the hardest, causing landslides and flooding, destroying homes and roads, but she couldn’t destroy the goodwill of the residents and the people in North Carolina. Places of worship, schools, community organizations, and neighbors all worked together to donate supplies, food, and water to the thousands of people who lost their homes and so much more. Many of the residents in Western North Carolina were without electricity, water, and shelter. Area churches and community centers opened 24 hours a day to provide meals, water, a place to rest, and most of all, encouragement to those in need.
The residents and emergency response agencies in Western North Carolina were faced with a lack of basic needs, coupled with impassable roads making access to people and places nearly impossible. In addition, there was an increase in fires as electricity was restored. The fire departments were overtaxed in this catastrophic situation. The state’s Emergency Operations Center sent out a call for firefighters to help. Many of Fuquay-Varina’s firefighters volunteered and four were chosen to deploy.
Hunter Hartley, engineer, and Caleb Thompson, firefighter II, were the first to deploy, working for a week with the Columbus Fire Department. They took with them a tanker holding 2,000 gallons of water and everything they needed to be self-sufficient for a week.
“We didn’t really know what to expect,” said Hartley. “We were just prepared for anything.”
“Chief Jones had everything we needed ready for us, including food and cots,” said Thompson. “We were prepared to camp out. When we arrived, Columbus looked like a normal town. The surrounding areas were destroyed.”
On the way there, the two firefighters were slowed down by washed-out roads and debris on the highway. When they arrived, they got to work. Thompson explains that the Columbus area had access to water, but the rural areas like Saluda and Tryon had no water in the hydrant system. They responded to multiple fires, assisted with a landing zone set-up for a helicopter evacuation of a critical patient, and helped the Columbus Fire Department, whose personnel, Thompson said, “had been working way too hard.” The two also assisted the residents by unloading pallets and helping donors get their donations to shelter areas.
Hartley tells of what he saw during his deployment, “In Green River Cove, 37 houses were taken. The locals were cleaning debris and roads so they could begin rebuilding. In some areas, creeks that started as just three feet across grew to 12 feet across and deep enough to cover cars and float houses down the river.”
Josh Herring, captain, and Rodolfo Silva, firefighter, spent nine days with the Garren Creek Fire Department in Fairview, NC. They brought with them a Brush Truck and UTV (utility task vehicle). Tragically, a firefighter with the Garren Creek Fire Department lost his life in a rescue attempt during Hurricane Helene. The FVFD firefighters were deployed to help give relief to this department and to provide fire response support to an area with neither power nor water.
“We were hearing that this area was like a war zone,” said Herring. “We came prepared to not have any of the amenities we have at home.”
Indeed, Herring and Silva saw as they drove in on I-40 the evidence of landslides and trees uprooted. They had to be escorted by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office to the fire station due to the dangerous road conditions.
During their deployment, Silva and Herring helped clean out a fire station that had been engulfed by a mudslide, they provided suppression efforts, unloaded supplies from a Chinook helicopter, cleared routes, and provided logistical support. They also delivered essential supplies to residents stuck in their homes. The two even volunteered to relieve workers at a church that was providing 24-hour food and shelter.
“One of the churches had set up supplies like a store and they had been going seven days a week, non-stop,” explained Herring.
At the end of each night, Herring and Silva had to drive to a different station to rest. Silva explains that he and Herring slept in tents outside the fire station so that the families of the Garren Creek Fire Department could sleep in the station. In the morning, they checked in at all the community centers to top off generators and see what the most pressing needs were.
The people of Western North Carolina have faced a devastating storm and the efforts to restore their communities will continue for a long time. “They have a long road ahead, especially with the winter months and the possibility of more landslides,” said Hartley. “As electricity turns on, the potential increases for more house fires.”
They are not alone, though, as people continue to organize efforts to provide supplies and warm clothing along with offering their skills and equipment for rebuilding.
What surprised the four firefighters the most was the outpouring of gratitude from the residents. “I was shocked to see how resilient the people were,” said Herring. “They were so grateful, everyone was in good spirits, and all were open to help.”
“They are a very close community; everybody lost somebody,” said Silva. “They were so welcoming, though. We went there trying to accommodate them, and they wanted to accommodate us.
All four firefighters agreed that this was an experience they would never forget and that they would gladly go back to help.
“There’s not a day that goes by that they are not on my mind,” said Herring. “Going wasn’t about fire service; it was about being a Carolinian.”
“I would go back tomorrow,” added Hartley.
The selflessness of these men and their desire to be of service is apparent when you hear the accounts of their deployment. They are quick to compliment each other and all the men and women with whom they work. “There were more than 20 firefighters who volunteered to be deployed,” said Thompson. “Everyone in the department made donations and many traveled on their own to help.”
In fact, Silva said that another member of the FVFD, Thomas Connelly, made several trips to deliver hay and feed for animals, saving a herd of cows from being euthanized. This was just one example of generosity representing a department of people whose calling is to serve others.
Fuquay-Varina is grateful to have so many first responders whose true, exceptional character shines through everything they do.
