Water Mission Responds to Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina
On Thursday, September 26, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern United States, setting a record for the worst flooding in North Carolina's history. The Category 4 storm claimed more than 150 lives and caused up to $35 billion in estimated damage, leaving more than 2 million people grappling with power outages and drinking water shortages.
Almost immediately, Water Mission deployed our disaster response team to the hardest-hit areas in western North Carolina, starting in Boone. Our team began working to provide the area with electricity and safe water, partnering with First Presbyterian Church in Boone to package and distribute supplies.
November 21 Update
Our disaster response team has installed safe water treatment systems in four Asheville-area schools to provide safe water for students and faculty. One of these is The Franklin School of Innovation, which started a student-led initiative to distribute safe water to members of the community at the end of each school day. Not only does the school have safe water, but students have passed out more than 600 gallons of water to their neighbors. In total, we have distributed nearly 295,000 gallons of water in western North Carolina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tgS2dve7Hs&t=1s
November 11 Update
Our team has now installed 14 safe water treatment systems across western North Carolina, producing more than 216,000 gallons of safe water in total. Four of those systems are located in four schools in the Asheville area, allowing students to return to school for the first time since the hurricane. As families work to rebuild their lives, our team and volunteers continue to partner with the community to bring safe water to those impacted by the storm.
October 24 Update
After nearly a month of serving those impacted by Hurricane Helene, our disaster response team has 15 safe water treatment systems operational in western North Carolina. These systems are located in multiple locations between Boone and Asheville and have produced more than 180,000 gallons of water. This water is changing lives, as people not only need it for drinking but also for washing, bathing, and flushing their toilets. Water Mission CEO and President George Greene IV visited our team on the ground to serve and encourage those affected by the storm. In the video below, he shares an update, highlighting the ways in which people are uniting to help each other during this difficult time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKOoksWvAUo
October 17 Update
Our disaster response team has installed 13 safe water treatment systems between Asheville and Boone, North Carolina, providing safe water to those impacted and working towards a total of 20 systems. We have also distributed 1,100 generators and 124,000 water purification packets to residents still recovering from the storm's aftermath. Evelyn Edmisten is one North Carolina resident who received a generator from Water Mission. After narrowly surviving an encounter with Hurricane Helene's floodwaters, she returned to a home that was without power for more than a week. Watch her testimony
October 15 Update
We have emergency safe water flowing in multiple locations between Asheville and Boone, North Carolina. Our team on the ground has installed 11 safe water treatment systems, and we are now focusing our response on bringing safe water to more locations across Asheville. We have also distributed 1,100 generators and 124,000 water purification packets across areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6oIHzFFWX8
October 11 Update
On Friday, October 11, 2024, Water Mission CEO and President George Greene IV and co-founder Dr. George Greene III visited western North Carolina. They worked with the team on the ground and encouraged those impacted by Hurricane Helene, helping where needed throughout the day. We are grateful for our disaster response team, volunteers, and leadership, who are diligently working to provide safe water and electricity to people in need.
October 10 Update
We have emergency safe water flowing in seven locations throughout western North Carolina, while working towards having nearly 20 total safe water treatment systems prepped, set-up and operational in the days ahead. Additionally, our team has distributed nearly 700 generators to residents without electricity. https://youtu.be/psq8PL8pCYI
October 8 Update
By October 2, our team on the ground had clean, safe water flowing in western North Carolina, with the first of our safe water treatment systems installed in Spruce Pine. Our larger systems can serve up to 5,000 people, providing 10,000 gallons of water per day.
“I’ve been through a lot of storms, and this is the worst one I’ve ever seen,” said Mark Greene, a resident of western North Carolina. “My wife is on oxygen 24/7, and we went through all of her reserve oxygen tanks. So [the paramedics] had to get out and chainsaw the driveway out so they could get up to the house Friday afternoon... She’s been in the hospital ever since.”
We have installed several safe water treatment systems in western North Carolina. Our larger system can provide water for up to 5,000 people per day.[/caption]
As of Tuesday, October 8, we have installed four safe water treatment systems and distributed nearly 400 generators to people in need, working toward distributing a total of 1,100 generators. Among other things, power is critical for water production, especially in rural areas where wells require water pumps to be operational.
“This generator is going to help power my home, so I can get my wife back home and comfortable,” Greene said. “I just really appreciate the fact that you guys are here to help.”
A Our team is working tirelessly to have 20 water treatment systems operational in the coming days. Many of our systems were delivered via helicopter by retired United States Armed Forces members, who dropped them off right at First Presbyterian Church in Boone. Additionally, we are distributing 62,000 water purification packets, which will help people treat a small amount of water to make it safe for drinking.
"With more than 20 years of experience responding to natural and humanitarian crises, Water Mission has an extensive background in providing immediate and long-term solutions," said Water Mission CEO and President, George Greene IV. "In each response, our team is there to reassure those dealing with overwhelming loss that God is with them. Please pray for the families impacted by Hurricane Helene and for our team on the ground responding to this urgent situation. Please consider coming alongside us in our efforts to help those impacted by this unprecedented disaster."
Our team on the ground continues to work diligently to provide electricity and safe water to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Thank you for partnering with us to help people in need. You can continue to change lives by giving today to support people impacted by disasters.
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Please note in the event that more funds are donated than can be used by this specific need, or if this need changes, Water Mission will use your gifts in a way that most closely aligns with your original intent and the mission of the organization.
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