Disaster Date:09/27/2024
West Asheville, NC
Hurricanes
What Happened
Thursday September 26, 2024 Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida. The storm pushed inland into Georgia, South and North Carolina and southern Virginia. Western North Carolina appears to be especially hard hit. At least 200 people died. Rescue crews battled mudslides, flood waters, and washed out roadways. MDS is renovating a church for future volunteers and then in the fall of 2025 will begin repairing homes.
What MDS Is Doing
MDS Volunteers will work on repair and new builds.
Location
Asheville is a city in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s known for a vibrant arts scene and historic architecture, including the dome-topped Basilica of Saint Lawrence. The vast 19th-century Biltmore estate displays artwork by masters like Renoir. The Downtown Art District is filled with galleries and museums, and in the nearby River Arts District, former factory buildings house artists' studios.
Stories from the Field
Weekly Reports
This week, volunteers came from New York, Kansas, Ontario (Canada), Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Montana. Work continues on the RSAA building. The countertop in the kitchen has been installed—much to the cook’s delight! Concrete was poured to...
Volunteers came from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Montana, and Oregon. What a thrill to hear the stories and experiences of our wonderful volunteers. Work continued on the RSAA building with the installation of flooring, as well as the removal of sinks...
West Asheville welcomed 2 volunteers this week. Though a small number the crew leaders managed well in accomplishing many tasks on the job lists. Houses in Swananoa were sided, taking many hours. A ceiling was taken down and subflooring was...
