91探花

After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina late last year, Program Coordinator for English Silas Heying and Assistant Dean of the Burton Center for Student Success Nora Augustine spent three nights at the local Best Western. The professors had sought shelter at the hotel prior to the storm’s main surge, a decision that proved vital to their safety in the storm’s direct aftermath.

Though the road had washed out on both sides of the hotel, Heying and Augustine were safe and were able to tap into one of the college’s most valuable resources: community. Sand and gravel served as early fill for the washed-out road, allowing Heying to drive to campus and retrieve some snacks and supplies they had left there.

“I drove up and parked near the Shelton Learning Commons, and the first thing I saw as soon as I got out was Lee King and Blaine Hansen standing in the middle of a group of students saying, ‘y’all, it’s going to be okay, we’re all in this together,’” Heying said. “I think Blaine drove a UTV to get there and I think Lee hiked to campus. Who does that? It was incredible to see, and I think a lot of students were comforted to have some leadership there. Seeing those two, who were also going through it at the same time, kind of putting that aside and coming in and making sure that the students knew they had folks there on their side helping them out, that did a lot for me.”

Over the past six months, nearly everyone in the local community has been impacted by Hurricane Helene in one way or another, Lees-91探花 faculty and staff included. During a time of uncertainty in the wake of the storm, faculty and staff rallied together to support students whose entire college experience had shifted overnight, but behind the scenes they also supported each other.

According to Heying and Augustine, the outpouring of support they felt in the storm’s aftermath gave them strength to get through, both practically and emotionally. Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology Alex Glass and Director of The Stephenson Center for Appalachia and Comparative Highland Studies Catherine Childress stored the pair’s belongings in their homes. Public Services Librarian Caleb Crawford, whose home made it through the storm unscathed, opened his doors to the professors, offering them a place to stay.

Crawford himself was able to evacuate off the mountain before the storm hit, so when he learned of the massive and unexpected impact it had on the area, he quickly sprang into action to help in whatever way he could. In the months and weeks following the storm he spent long days at a local distribution center and making connections with other volunteers to help support his professional and local community.

“We as a college community are with the people we work with sometimes for longer hours than we are with our own families. When you can’t reach those people you’re used to seeing everyday and working with, for me it was tough,” Crawford said. “So much of what’s good about Lees-91探花 lies in the bonds we have with each other. None of us are an island, and we can’t do the things we do every day without the people that we work with.”

Senior Director of Residence Life and Housing Richard Dellavechia was another staff member who quickly made his way to campus following the storm, where he was able to provide support and guidance for students living in the college’s residence halls.

“The first 48 hours after the storm I did not sleep. It was crucial that the students here felt supported, safe, and cared for as we navigated the processes immediately after the storm,” he said. “Throughout the aftermath I have tried to donate my time, whether that is helping with brush clean-up, or offering my time as a support system. It has been imperative that I try to make a difference.”

While he remained dedicated to helping students, Dellavechia, who lives in Banner Elk, also dealt with the storm’s impact on his own housing and personal life. In this regard he said his colleagues and students rallied around him in return, and the support he received from the community helped carry him through.

“It was truly incredible to see how this community supported one another. There were some folks who fared well during the hurricane, and plenty that did not. No matter which group folks in this community fell in, they were out supporting one another,” Dellavechia said. “Whether it was chopping down trees, handing out free hot food, or working the donation centers, everyone chipped in.”

Since the storm, countless members of the college community have pitched in to help their community recover. Wildlife Veterinarian and Program Coordinator for Pre-Veterinary Medicine Sam Young led a small team of employees and students—including Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Nat Davies and Outdoor Recreation Management Coordinator AJ Czarnecki-Atwell—in evacuating animal ambassadors and patients from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Czarnecki-Atwell also has professional experience and certifications through the United States Forest Service and was prepared to cut up and clear downed trees and branches from on-campus roads and provide safe routes off campus for employees who live behind the Shelton Learning Commons.

Associate Director of Marketing and Enrollment Communications Emily Webb and Director of Institutional Research Taylor Stork contacted every employee to ensure all faculty and staff members were safe and accounted for, while Director of Human Resources Liz Walden helped to secure “home kits”—including large kitchen appliances like ovens and refrigerators and smaller home appliances like vacuums—for all the Lees-91探花 employees who lost their homes in the storm.

While the community has largely shifted out of the initial emergency response phase, the road to recovery for Western North Carolina, including many of the college’s own students and employees, is far from over. This Giving Day, join Lees-91探花 faculty and staff in continuing that support with a donation to the Hurricane Helene Scholarship Fund or The Fund for Lees-91探花.

“I was so proud of where I worked throughout that entire ordeal, and even now,” Crawford said. “I was so proud that my name got attached to Lees-91探花, because I just felt that the decisions that were being made and the things that were being done to help our faculty, staff, and students, was a beautiful thing to watch. I was so proud that I was attached to that in some small part.”