Red Cross rescue workers in Banner Elk, NC got a big surprise on Tuesday afternoon when a Houlton business owner dropped off a pickup truck load of winter supplies for residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains community devastated by Hurricane Helene in late September.
“When we dropped it off the ladies were very grateful and they couldn’t believe that somebody from Maine showed up to drop off winter gear,” said Katie Sloat, owner of the Serendipitous Dragonfly in downtown Houlton.
Sloat, along with her two children Clara, 11, and Avery, 9, Bither, and family friend Megan Fitzpatrick of Hodgdon, made the 18-hour trek to the North Carolina mountains to deliver winter coats, hats, gloves and blankets donated by people in the local community. They left Houlton on Monday and arrived in Banner Elk late Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m really glad that we got to help them out and I was really glad that I saw how they were setting it all up and that anyone who wanted to could go in and take what they needed,” said Clara Bither.
Like many communities along Helene’s path, Banner Elk, a popular destination mountain town of about 1,100, was devastated with washed out roads, toppled homes and trees, no power and no access to services. The cleanup began as soon as the water started receding but there are still many people without homes with winter approaching.
Sloat said rescue workers told her they are hoping the people who lost their homes have family nearby but some resorted to staying in sheds and campers because their houses were destroyed.
“As we drove up into the mountains, a lot of trees and power lines were down. One section of the road was lined with debris the river must have washed up. Debris like toilets, tubs, trash, couches,” she said. “They said most of the rivers were double in size from what they were.”
Last month when the storm happened, Sloat said she reached out to a couple of her previous co-workers from when she worked at Acadia National Park who now live in that area. They gave her contacts for the drop off.
Sloat said she wished she could have helped a month ago when they really needed help but wasn’t able to do it at the time. So when she found out they would be traveling to South Carolina for a family wedding this weekend, she decided to start collecting the winter gear and bring it to Banner Elk on the way.
The trip was about three hours off their route, but completely worth it, said Fitzpatrick.
“If I was in a time of need like that I would hope that somebody would take the time to drive the extra three hours to help me out,” she said. “When you see people that don’t know where they are sleeping at night or don’t have anything, three hours is miniscule if you can provide something to help them. “
Although the weather on Tuesday was nice, Sloat said that cold weather was on its way to Banner Elk and that’s why rescue workers asked for winter gear donations. The clothing and blankets they dropped off came from people in Houlton, Linneus and Hodgdon.
“They actually took a picture of our license plate when we were leaving to show that somebody from Maine came down,” she said.
