LEXINGTON, Ky. — Thousands of people in west North Carolina are facing the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and left without shelter, food and power.
Treva Scott of Frankfort, Kentucky, calls Mars Hill, North Carolina, home. She's working to bring relief to her neighbors impacted by the storm.
“For whatever reason, topography-wise, our house, we got out and everything looked pretty fine," she said. "But then if you went out anywhere two miles from our house, it's just trees down everywhere."
She said her home and the area of Madison County surrounding it were slightly spared from the intensity, but many of her neighbors weren’t as lucky.
“We heard branches falling at our house, but nothing that you can imagine once you cross just a few miles from our house,” she said.
Communication in many of surrounding areas is completely out, Scott added. Some families haven’t been able to reach loved ones, and others are having a hard time connecting with resources to help. With a U-Haul and a list of essential items like tents, medications, sanitization and construction gear and toiletries, she has made it a goal to support her neighbors.
Scott said highways, businesses and so much more have been washed away. She pointed out the stark difference between the two places she considers home.
“I came (to Kentucky), and the grocery stores are full," she said. "School buses are running. Everything around here is normal."
Many of Scott's neighbors and friends have no means of communication to inform others they're safe, need resources or know resources may come their way. She said she plans to collect as much as possible from the commonwealth to take back to North Carolina as she hopes to stretch love and support almost 200 miles away.
Scott added she’s in touch with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina, which has opened up a 24-hour mental health and resource line to help the community.