SOBERING REFLECTIONS

Janet Imrick

Randolph Hub

ASHEBORO – Within hours of hearing that Hurricane Helene had struck North Carolina's Appalachian region and neighborhoods were destroyed or cut off from help, Randolph County personnel were mobilizing.

Asheboro Police Chief Robbie Brown and Fire and Rescue Chief Willie Summers described the pride they felt for their men and women who volunteered to aid civilians and support the first responders of Western North Carolina. "All officers volunteered; no officer was ordered to assist," Brown told the Asheboro City Council at its Nov. 7 meeting.

Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26 and quickly moved north. Flooding and mudslides cut a deadly path through the state. Brown said they were told, "Downtown Asheville looks like a bomb went off."

He said his Alpha Team carried out more than 800 hours of work in Asheville, and the Bravo Team worked more than 400 hours in Montreat, while other officers transported supplies into the region. They helped search and secure buildings, direct traffic and escort vehicles. They had to guard a Best Buy that had been turned into a temporary morgue: 102 people are known to have been killed in North Carolina.

With such widespread damage, volunteers could not rest in between shifts at well-stocked hotels or stations. Team Alpha had no running water, according to Brown. They used a bucket to scoop water out of the hotel swimming pool to flush toilets.

Like police, Fire and Rescue also sent two teams, focusing their efforts on Black Mountain and Swannanoa. They ran fire suppression and medical assistance calls. 

Captain Tim Hussey said they had to wait on backhoes to clear trees so that they could reach people. The backup generator had failed at the local fire department. "No power, no water, no food. Just snacks for a couple of days," he said. "Bathroom situation was rough for a few days, but we made do. Cell phone service did not exist, and radio service was very limited."

Fire Captain Karen Lovings spoke to the outpouring of support they experienced while they were there. "A lot of volunteers were coming up with truckloads. We did a lot of offloading water and food. We landed a helicopter for [Governor] Roy Cooper. Some of the stuff we saw was bad, but some of the stuff was good."

Summers, who retired as fire chief this month, said, "They are heroes to me. They are committed. They are passionate about what they do, serving this community but other communities as well."

Countywide effort

Randleman Fire Department sent 10 personnel to Swannanoa. Chief Brian Causey helped run the incident command post, coordinating with law enforcement and water rescue personnel from across the state.

“We gridded off the entire area and worked out from the river to make contact with folks,” Causey said. “We worked the grids day by day. On the third day, we sent our guys back to those from the first day to check on people.”

Causey was aware of people monitoring the situation online. “That church has been all over social media. My wife would ask, ‘Have you seen that white church?’ I said, ‘We’ve seen it every day.’ ”

They were called to evacuate 26 people from Bee Tree Road, including an elderly woman they had to carry across the river. They delivered medicine to residents who chose to stay in their homes. 

Causey also led government officials who had come to survey the damage, including NC Rep. Brian Biggs and Speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johnson.

“It made me proud as a chief that these guys stepped up,” Causey said. “They represented Randleman. They represented Randolph County.”

Sheriff Greg Seabolt told county commissioners at their Nov. 4 meeting that 19 deputies spent 17 consecutive days, rotating in and out and providing aid to areas with no power, phone connectivity or water.

"I'd like to say that Randolph County helped a small bit in bringing that county back to where they needed to be. There's still a lot of work to do," Seabolt said.

East Side and Ramseur Fire Departments partnered up to serve Barnardsville, with Ramseur's Chief Jay Ledwell and Assistant Chief Craig Parrish and East Side’s Chief Eric Hoffman and Lt. Angela Talbott doing citizen checks.

"Words and pictures cannot adequately describe the destruction that we witnessed,” East Side posted on Facebook. “However, amidst the damage and despair, we got to see the best of people who worked hard to take care of each other. 

“The community center, the local school and various churches as well as the former fire station became gathering points and a lifeline for individuals and families who had literally lost everything. It was heartening to see a community rally around each other the way they did/are doing."

Seagrove Fire and Police sent donations via Chief Express Trucking. Police Chief Jason Auman said the whole community came together to help fill the truck. Farmer Fire, Ulah Fire and Julian Fire and Rescue also sent up tractor trailer loads of food and other supplies. Randleman collected bottled water at city hall.

Support from other departments included:

• Ash-Rand Rescue & EMS deployed a five-man team.

• Guil-Rand Fire deployed to Swannanoa for two weeks.

• Fair Grove Fire deployed to Mitchell County.

• Franklinville Fire sent teams to Asheville, Fairview and Spruce Pines.

• Two firefighters with Level Cross were dispatched, one with the National Guard, the other covering shifts in Spencer.

• Liberty police officers deployed to Buncombe County.

• Randolph County sent seven Emergency Management personnel, as well as other staff such as Public Information Officer Amy Rudisill and Animal Services Director Jonathan Moody.

• Tabernacle Fire Department deployed to Buncombe County.

• Westside Fire and Rescue deployed crews to Green Mountain in Mitchell County.