Avery Ehrman
Editor-in-Chief
What seemed to be an impromptu three-day weekend for students in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) district in late September was much more than that as we watched the devastation from Hurricane Helene unfold. Our beloved Western North Carolina mountains, where many of us spend winters skiing, summers at camp, and fall weekends hiking, were completely and utterly destroyed.
Hurricane Helene, the category four storm from the northwestern Caribbean Sea, landed in NC on September 26th, creating havoc in the mountains. Video clips online showed houses floating away due to flooding, winds blowing trees over, power outages, and no running water.
While, thankfully, all we experienced here in Winston-Salem was many inches of rainfall and high gusts of winds, many R.J. Reynolds (RJR) Alumni attending schools such as Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA), and Western Carolina had different views of the hurricane while away at college.
“I was displaced from my dorm and school for two and a half weeks,” a freshman at Appalachian State University (App State), Owen Ritter, said. “There was a lot of confusion with my classes and whether they would get canceled. Rankin Science Hall, where I have two classes, was flooded, and I now have to do Zoom classes.”
Students were left without power or running water, sending many back home until campuses were back to normal. App State students were lucky to return to campus within a few weeks. Still, those at UNCA were kept on remote learning for the remainder of the semester. Back in Winston, many RJR students stepped up to help support the cause by raising money and collecting donations.
“Senior Girls Service Club (SGSC) did a charity ride at CycleBar Winston-Salem,” SGSC Co-President Kate Walker said. “At this event, the cost to attend went towards a charity for hurricane victims in Western North Carolina. We plan to raise money through a bake sale at Fall Fest; earnings from both efforts will aid the hurricane victims. In total, we expect to raise about $300.”
Along with SGSC, the men’s soccer team partnered with Mt. Tabor’s team, allowing students free entry to their game if they brought canned food donations. This collaboration sent hundreds of essential items to those in need and inspired others at RJR to do the same.
“We collected things from water to flashlights; anything we got was appreciated and put to good use.” Senior at RJR and Co-Owner of Blue Rake Landscaping John Spinosa said. “They were brought to food shelters and churches, distributing them to those affected. Together, we had two full enclosed trailers full of donations.”
These donations were brought up to the mountains, and students spent time cleaning up devastated areas.
“We were inspired to take action when we found out another landscaping company we work with was planning to go and take donations and help clear roads with their machinery,” Spinosa said. “I’ve never seen people come together like this, and it was amazing to see North Carolinians everywhere helping out.”
While the tremendous amount of support for Western NC has allowed areas to begin recovery, it, unfortunately, will be many months or even years before our beloved mountains reach any sense of normalcy.