The end of September brought untold destruction and suffering in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which unleashed her fury on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Georgia, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina. Western North Carolina was most severely affected, as days of rain prior to the hurricane had already swollen rivers and streams, so once the Cat 4 storm got hung up in the mountain areas, the deluge of rain created catastrophic flooding and 106 mph winds added to the destruction.
On October 4, AccuWeather estimated damages from the storm at $225B to $250B, second only to the $320 billion loss from Katrina in 2005. On October 5, Associated Press reported the death toll has reached 227, with “thousands” of people unaccounted for. Amidst the flooding and complete destruction of the town of Chimney Rock, Asheville, Marshall, Biltmore Village and other Western North Carolina (WNC) areas, victims were without power, water, internet, food and in many cases, shelter. People are stranded in Boone, Beech Mountain and Asheville. Gas is scarce, and lines for gas stations stretch for miles long.
Tile industry affected and response
Despite news coverage of devastation, people from the area are saying that it is “so much worse than the reports,” calling it “apocalyptic,” in scope and destruction. Matt Welner, a Technical Trainer with NTCA who travels the country bringing standards- based training to contractors, lives in Hickory, N.C. He reported that Lake Lure at the base of Chimney Rock – where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed — was flooded, roads are impassable, houses and boats are gone. “It’s the mountain version of Katrina,” he said.
The National Guard, FEMA, United Way, Samaritan’s Purse, Red Cross, Convoy of Hope, World Central Kitchen and a host of other national and local organizations and agencies are bringing in aid by any means possible. In addition, local communities and many with ties to the tile industry are banding together to give aid and relief to their communities. Daltile, Horizon Tile, and Mosaic Tile in Asheville have been serving as distribution sites and David Scalise, founder of TileWare Global LLC in Hickory is warehousing supplies before they go to the airport. “Tile setters are signing up to go volunteer for Samaritan’s Purse,” Welner said, adding that a construction company went to the aid of a family in a house knocked over in a mudslide, and dug out six people.
LATICRETE joined the effort to support this mountain community, despite the fact that it does not have a single distributor or contractor in the area, but LATICRETE President and COO Ron Nash committed to pouring in financial assistance where it is needed. It helped fund four storage containers for essential supplies delivered to the Big Ivy community, as well as two for the local elementary school.
Kate Koerber, one of NTCA’s newest trainers, makes her home in Spruce Pine, N.C., but was presenting a workshop near Watertown, N.Y. when Helene hit, and lodged there with a friend until October 5. Her sister Amy Turner, who runs A&R Excavating in Ten Mile, Tenn, is joining the help effort. She transported her Bobcat, generator, chainsaws, four wheeler, and 200 gallons of diesel fuel by truck and trailer to help get Koerber back to her house and offer assistance to the local community over the coming week. Koerber drove her NTCA van back to Spruce Pine, loaded with supplies.
Koerber said “lookie loos” were creating problems and are getting in the way of relief efforts, and hotels are hiking prices in the area. In fact, on Oct 4 the office of Josh Stein, the North Carolina Attorney General said the DOJ had received 196 complaints alleging Helene-related price gouging. Most complaints are related to fuel, groceries and hotel costs, with the majority of complaints related to businesses in Buncombe, Cleveland, Madison, and Mecklenburg counties.
“The people I’ve spoken with have more than enough to worry about as they recover and rebuild,” Stein said. “The last thing they need is a scammer coming in to take advantage of their desperation.” Price gouging can be reported at 10877-5-NO-SCAM or http://ncdoj.gov/pricegouging. Legal Aid of North Carolina has also established disaster assistance website at https://legalaidnc.org/tropical-storm-helene-disaster-assistance/.
Koerber reports that as of October 8, services are gradually being restored, but cleanup of mud, debris and road restoration still continues, as well as the clearing of the massive amount of trees that were downed by the storm. Internet and wifi access is still “sketchy,” Koerber said, but stores that were not decimated are now open and fuel and gas are more accessible. Cash is king when making purchases.
“In Spruce Pine, there has been no looting; people are helpful and kind,” she said. “Lunatic reports of all kinds are rampant…but I have seen zero evidence of craziness.”
Mike Maness, of iTile Asheville — one of the first tile setters to take the Tile Artisan Training in Milwaukee in 2023 — is administrator of the WNC Tile Crew Facebook Group. He offered ongoing reports on conditions and relief and distribution efforts, and opened his home for power and water for showers and laundry or a place to stay. Maness’ employee Becks Logan, which he described as “1000 percent driven in the tile industry,” is therapy and disaster relief-trained and has been working search and rescue in the area as well.
Maness’ twin brother Chris owns the Tin Can Pizzeria food truck in Barnardsville near Asheville, which has been providing free meals, bolstered by donations via Venmo and GoFundMe, and Propane Blossman Gas which is supplying propane to keep the pizza ovens burning. Asheville Pizza South is also helping with logistical needs and donating time and energy to help Tin Can Pizzeria serve the community. WNC Tile Crew is posting ongoing offers and calls for help as is the Facebook Carolina Tile Posse group, administered by Jeremy Barker and Jennifer Barker of NTCA member contractor Bathmatic Custom Tile and Shower Company in Gastonia, N.C.
Pasha Starykov, of NTCA member company Star Tile, moved from Oregon to Greenville, SC three years ago, and was also impacted by the storm. His area sustained minor damage compared to the Asheville area — mostly fallen trees that knocked out power for four days and minor flooding near creeks and rivers. Traveling near Charlotte, Starykov saw a lot of heavy equipment trucks and teams from other states like New Jersey and Florida as well as the federal government on their way to provide aid, including 50-60 big government trailers that each could house a family or two for the night.
In nearby Clemson-area South Carolina, CTEF Academic Director Scott Carothers weighed in. Damage was minimal compared to North Carolina, yet his neighbor’s tree fell and crushed his shed that housed all his tools. He and his wife Debby were without power for over a week, resorting to cooking meals on the gas grill and seeking hot showers at his church’s facilities, where Carothers also pitched in to help repair a roof.
Relief by air, and by hoof
Because of impassable road conditions, some of the only relief could reach affected communities by air. Frank Donohue, owner and regional director of Best Tile, in Raleigh, N.C., worked with the 501c3 Operation Airdrop (fixed wing planes bringing relief) which also employed helicopters in Operation Helo from Hickory to nimbly navigate the mountainous terrain and bring supplies, medicine, food and clothes to flooded communities. He and his son personally transported in supplies, medicines and provisions in their private planes, in an effort that included many volunteers and local ground crew. Total Flight Solutions was also flying planes nonstop with relief cargo.
Donahue reported that the FAA has been on site, supporting and guiding operations, and the North Carolina State Fire Marshall’s office stops by daily. A FEMA rep also stopped by. “But the bulk of the work is being handled by volunteers,” he said.
Dan Kramer, who runs Ceramic Tile, Inc. in Buxton, on Hatteras, coordinated with Donahue and volunteered to bring his 350 lb. load of supplies to Statesville, N.C. Once he arrived, organizers asked him if he was comfortable with mountain flying, since Elk River airport 40 minutes away needed staples. He was not, but said, “Sure!” After flying over the mighty rivers and ground waters, in the mountain towns, he said, “It’s a pretty sporty place — you land one way and depart from the other direction, come over the mountains at 6,000 ft. and land on the private airport at 3,300 ft.” Once done, he went back to Statesville to fill up another couple of times. “People were dropping things off in cars, and they passed through the hanger for loading in the planes.”
Some of the assistance comes by ground – but not by car or truck. Mountain Mule Packers from Mount Ulla, N.C. and the Cajun Navy 2016 , a nonprofit search and rescue group from Watson, La. are bringing hope to the region. These groups are supplying food, water, medicine (including insulin), and hope. They can reach areas that are otherwise impassable by other means.
Catastrophes can have a unifying effect. In fact, Kramer described a “brotherhood and sisterhood,” not unlike 911, all coming together to volunteer. Likewise, Donahue said the effort at his end was a result of “we the people” – people helping people out of kindness and caring. While Operation Airdrop provided the framework for organizing relief efforts, he said “the brunt of the workload is borne by the hundreds of volunteers with diverse skills and a willingness to help. Some come for a day, some are here everyday, all day, until the job is done.”
This is just the beginning of the recovery efforts, especially with Hurricane Milton about to impact Florida this week. Any of these aforementioned companies in the links above can use support and donation. In addition, NTCA has vetted and is donating to Baptists on Mission and Samaritan’s Purse. Following is a list of additional resources that provide help and/or could use donations to keep supporting people impacted by the storm. Updated information from local Facebook groups advises those sending supplies to suspend sending food, water or clothing. Currently Benadryl is sought due to an influx of yellow jacket wasps as well as heavy duty PPE (masks with respirators, gloves, eye goggles, face shields, chaps, hazmat suits), boots, and thick socks. Also needed are chainsaws, shovels, wheel barrows, diesel fuel, and aviation fuel. Thermal blankets and space heaters are needed for people with disabled HVAC systems.Your help is deeply appreciated:
- A&R Excavation: Venmo@amy-turner-271, 3505; Paypal is [email protected]m.
- Shelters: https://nc211.org/shelters-hurricane-helene/
- Blue Ridge Public Radio – live updates, info on distribution center and relief
- Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) – providing emergency relief for craft artists
- Hearts with Hands
- Mercy Chefs
- WNC Tile Crew and Carolina Tile Posse Go Fund Me – recovery efforts for local area, established by iTile Asheville
- International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Greater Good Charities
- Gary Sinise Foundation
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
