Love Thy Neighbor - Helping Hurricane Helene Victims

Ok. I’m home. I’ve showered, slept a little, and watched my not-so-small-anymore kid, sleep. Taking a moment to be thankful that she’s safe, fed, warm, and comfortable…many of the people we were with just hours before, not so much…

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My sisters, nieces, nephews and mom, live in Hendersonville, NC. This is 25 miles from Ashville, and 58 miles from Chimney Rock. Two of the places hit most severely recently by Hurricane Helene. They were all lucky and well. Their community, however, was devastated. In a time where all we see on TV is political slander ads, popular culture obsessed with P-Diddy accusations, and Amazon Prime Big Deal Days…I wanted to concentrate on something more important. I’ve spent years building a network of GOOD people. GOOD companies…time to call it in.

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I gave it a week as a deadline in my mind and posted it on Facebook. September 29th: “Calling all friends and family, oilfield brothers and sisters and fellow Americans. Looking for donations. I need a truck and driver, and donations of water, paper products, canned goods, toiletries, etc. Please PM me for more information”

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Within what seemed like seconds, Scott Pugh reached out and offered a truck/trailer/and driver. Which I’m pretty sure he didn’t even have yet, lol, but damn it he would figure it out. Within a day we had a drop off location. Within 24 hours, the calls/texts/emails/messages started, and donations started rolling in. Offers of cash (we set up a GoFundMe – donators being Katie Wilson Mary Jo Podgurski, Jed Draugan, Heather Lyons , Nikki White, John Shutz, Amy McAnany, Meghan Kirby, Kopper Kettle, Braden Mennor, Samantha DeBone, Ashley White, Rebecca DeMase, Conrad Cupit, Jessica Fitzgerald, Lindsay Herald, Susan Koehler, Domenique DiCello, Debra Pugh, Breana Cubic, Stevie McLain, Amy Healy, Karen Ames, Celina Farabaugh, Rachel Schiavon, Maddie Frank and many anonymous, the funds eventually used to buy generators and chain saws).

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A lady named Toni Phenicle reached out with donations of insulin. Kenz Spinnenweber of Little Creek Repair started a donation drop off at her shop. Billie Jean La Brosse, owner of Antique Exchange in Finleyville, started a collection, Kilkeary’s Auto Body started a collection. So many people willing and wanting to help.

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A gentleman named Ralph J. Pagone reaching out to me to donate a brand-new generator specifically for my sisters out of power. He was a firefighter, himself, and had daughters who were nurses, like my sisters.

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My own company Keystone Clearwater Solutions lending me one of our Starlink units to ensure that we didn’t lose connections (reception is still VERY touch and go down there) and giving me their blessing to do what it took, timewise, to make things happen no questions asked.

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Scott Pugh came through with his promise of a truck and trailer, PLUS another two trucks and trailers, and a great group of guys to drive them Jude Scumaci , Mike Bennati , and Jason Liggett. The day to load arrived. Monday, September 7th. All hands-on deck. What we didn’t expect was just how much stuff would show up THAT DAY…so many Washington County residents, BUTCH'S RATHOLE & ANCHOR SERVICE, INC Marcellus Utica Gas , Keystone Clearwater, Hetek Solutions Inc , TJD Energy Services, LLC , Ryan Scrips of CNX …please don’t be offended if I’ve missed you, it’s not intentional…drop a comment about your support…everyone going above and beyond for their fellow man. Pretty soon, we were full but had A LOT more that needed to come. After some scrambling Tri State Trucking donated a 53ft trailer, and McAdoo’s Towing a power unit and driver. For free. We were ready and would leave in the morning.

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It was an whirlwind trip. My travel companions and conversation and the long-distance radios proved entertaining. Along the entire journey, regular Americans were giving us money. For gas, to help. A young lineman returning home after a week of long days and nights gave us $100 with tears in his eyes, moved by our efforts. All I could think was what he had been through that week…and he was thanking us.? After two long days of travelling on some precarious roads; washed out, trees and powerlines down, scenery at times that looked like something out of an apocalyptic movie; we made it. We were greeted at Fruitland Baptist College with open arms, smiles, and my family. Hugs are always good from my sister, but that one was extra special.

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The parking lot was filled with volunteers, and members of the public in need. I, personally, got to help a young mom stock her car with all that she could carry for a family of five. Husband, wife and three young kids. They had lost everything…except each other. My sister told me stories of bodies in trees (that poor lineman) the smell of decay from the destruction that had been flushed down to the end of the line in Chimney Rock, and what was buried in the silt there…it was heartbreaking. And that was just the initial impact. More stories of longer standing impact of families trapped with no access in or out and the scramble to build ATV roads, the chemical plant washed away where a section of town was so contaminated that the mud was melting the boots off of the emergency workers feet, the semi-permanent disruption to food distribution as the one and only depot which supplies their grocery stores, was completely washed away, the fact that public schools were closed, indefinitely. This isn’t a disaster that’s going away any time soon. These people’s lives are forever changed.

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Finally, the last items were unloaded from the truck and it became time to say goodbye. I hugged my sister, niece, nephew, and mom. Grateful they were ok, but forever changed, myself, by what I had seen and heard.

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Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped us help these people even just the tiniest little bit. Thank you for filling up my soul with the assurance that, whatever crazy, silly distraction that is going on in the world creating white noise, we are still God’s children and Americans. We didn’t talk about political leanings, religious beliefs, who or what we identify as…when push comes to shove, we come together. I’ve had a lot of people thank me. I don’t want or need it. I just used my platform, you all are the real heroes, and I love you. Thank you all and God Bless.