Hurricane Helene was the headline of every major news outlet—and like you, we at E3 Ranch Foundation (E3RF) were worried. We watched in agony as the Category 4 hurricane made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend on September 26. Wreaking havoc, this monstrous storm ripped through Florida and created a 500-mile path—landing on and flooding the unexpecting citizens of North Carolina.
Cities and towns were now gone—communities were destroyed. Like you, we were stunned as we saw roads, homes, and businesses in the iconic Blue Ridge Mountains obliterated. E3RF heard the call, and we answered. As part of our global crises arm, we knew we couldn’t sit back and watch.
Our team members arrived in Northwestern North Carolina on Saturday, October 5, to implement our mission. Below is a glimpse of our journey into the mountains, where we saw firsthand the unfathomable devastation of Mother Nature’s wrath.
DEVASTATION
We arrived at Elk River Airfield at Banner Elk on October 5. Partnering with Sentinel Foundation, the current ground team briefed us on the operations and updated us on the situation.
We were struck by the intense devastation of the land and the lives ripped apart by the water’s fury. The mountains were gouged with ravines where homes and trees once stood. Homes were picked up and moved or destroyed. Roads were simply gone. The tales of families lost and washed away were heart-wrenching—and unfolding by the minute. Propelled by our motto, “Send Me,” we knew much good work would be done here.
THE OPERATION
A member of our team assumed the role of operations officer at the Airfield—this makeshift distribution center was quickly becoming one of the largest hubs in the region. From receiving thousands of tons of aid and dispersing aircraft search and rescue, this chaotic airport was an epicenter of activity. An ad hoc team of approximately 60 volunteers, comprised of E3RF, Sentinel Foundation, former and current Military, Samaritan’s Purse, churches, and locals that simply wanted to help, would become the backbone of serving and loving the people of Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties in North Carolina.
We saw the best in humanity as over 100 fixed-wing aircraft arrived every day, ready to serve. “How can I help?” they asked. On day two, we began developing a system to utilize these good-hearted Americans to help the hardest-hit areas. Search and rescue continued for the first three days. We were able to rescue dozens, offer them the medical care they needed, and transport them to local shelters or churches for further care.
The chaos of aid requests—figuring out who needed what, how urgently, and when- was one of our most significant challenges. We regularly deployed search and rescue volunteers, trained in intel gathering, to assess and report back on the hardest hit areas.
THE SYSTEM
Amid the chaos, we knew a system was required to ensure that we were sensibly serving the area and helping those with the most critical needs.
Using Google Earth, each visit was labeled by a pin. These pins, color-coded, served as a history log as well as an indicator if further action was needed. Red equaled critical, yellow equaled moderately urgent, and green indicated not urgent but needed attention. In addition to the color coding, each visit was well-documented with a note including—who visited this site or home, what was the status of the visit, what needs were met, what needs were unmet, and what follow-up action was necessary.
TAKING ACTION
Volunteers met those in need with aid, medical supplies, generators, food, camping equipment, etc. Whether by vehicle, ATV, fixed-wing aircraft, or rotator-wing aircraft, our team found a way to get what was necessary to the families hit the hardest. Every day, we deployed countless missions to reach those in despair.
In addition to word-of-mouth requests for aid, we established a team that searched social media sites, from church sites to emergency county sites, to find out who needed help and what they needed.
We also established a cutting crew—a group of volunteers who went out daily to clear fallen trees from roads, homes, and businesses.
We guided a cadaver dog team—trained professionals who volunteered to visit those sites with intense devastation. Searching for lost loved ones, this crew witnessed atrocities that none of us should ever see.
As temperatures were rapidly dropping, Mother Nature gave another heave of fury to the communities in the form of beautiful, white snow. Thousands of citizens were without power, so we prioritized shipping out generators to families. Generators were in short supply and hard to come by. Thankfully, the need was met by the generosity of donors, and because of these significant gifts, E3RF was able to locate a supplier and purchase over 200 6500-watt generators for the community.
We coordinated the daily receipt of thousands of tons of aid—from medical aid to bottled water, food, and winter clothing. We gratefully received these items, logged them, and shipped them out as quickly and efficiently as possible.
KEEPING WARM
We communicated daily with other distribution centers and churches, assessing how to get aid to those who needed it most. During these interactions, we encountered a volunteer named Angel. She and her husband loaded up their vehicle from Eastern North Carolina and drove. They settled in Bakersville, NC, started making meals for the community, and helped people wherever possible.
Like all of us, they simply wanted to serve those in need. After interacting with Angel nearly every day over the phone, our team made the nearly two-hour trek to meet her and take supplies. Putting a face to the name in the chaos brought her to tears. She shared she had a list of vetted homes—with families in them—that still had no electricity (two weeks after Helene had hit!). She thanked us for the supplies, but we left with those families in our minds and our hearts. Later that day, we were able to deliver twenty generators to Angel. By nightfall, Angel had electricians delivering and installing those generators.
THE PEOPLE
As we oversaw the deployment of missions, aid delivery, cutting crews, and receipt of tons of aid, we found ourselves out of breath and of time. We felt we couldn’t work fast enough or hard enough—often putting in 16-hour days, our crew slept on the airport hangar floor, in vehicles, and in a few neighboring homes. Our exhaustion seemed like a meager offering in the wake of what those impacted by Helene had endured.
The noise during the day was a constant hum—from airplanes coming and going to volunteers talking as they sorted food to vehicles loading up to deliver supplies. We were struck by the impromptu nature of it all—this group of volunteers, most of whom didn’t know each other before, came together and did something beautiful.
Mother nature’s wrath knew no bounds when she struck North Carolina, but E3RF was truly blessed to strike back. The strike wasn’t violent in return; it simply involved people helping people. Humanity at its finest, good-hearted folks navigating a very difficult situation. Together.
As we listened closer to the crescendo of noises at Elk River Airfield—maybe it wasn’t just the hum of humanity—but it was a resounding cry—Here we are, send us, Lord.
On behalf of the E3 Ranch Foundation, thank you for supporting our efforts in North Carolina. Thank you for sending us.
