Written by: Anaya Parker
Hurricane Helene was reported to be one of the worst hurricanes to make landfall in the United States, according to USA Today. The devastation impacted hundreds of lives, with the death toll reaching over 225 as of Sunday,CBS News reported. The storm hit many states, including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee.
Several students at Southern Adventist University have been affected by the disaster. Emma Boughman, a junior animation major, lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“My parents and my best friend, they all lost power, and [my] parents still don’t have power,” she said.
According to Boughman, the storm caused some power lines to explode near her home, falling into the road and the water causing trees to fall on top of cars. She had not expected the storm to be so devastating or reach that deep into the mainland and was grateful that the damage was not worse.
“I think it was just a different feeling around here because that doesn’t [usually] happen,” she said.
Katie-Jane Emde, junior biology major, is from Greeneville, Tennessee, one of the towns struck by the hurricane. Emde’s family owns a historical cabin that they use for gatherings with friends and family. They hosted hot dog roasts and hayrides there for church friends and school functions. Emde remembered having her class over every year for a fall day at the cabin.
“It was like a symbol of my family’s hospitality,” she said.
Unfortunately, the cabin was destroyed during the hurricane. Emde said the dam above her home broke, sending water down the river. The water gushed over the riverbank and into Emde’s family farmlands, washing over the cabin. The family expected the cabin to be damaged underwater but found it thoroughly washed away.
“You know, you always say people are more important than places, but then you lose a place [and think], ‘Hey, that was important, too,’” Emde said.
Despite her sadness at losing a place associated with so many memories, Emde said some of her neighbors lost their primary residences or suffered much worse. She has learned of fatalities reported in Greeneville and said some people in her town are still missing.
“I definitely want to emphasize first how grateful I am that my family is, like, safe above all else,” she said.
Zach Bradley, junior history major, also lost a special family place: his grandmother’s house in Fletcher, North Carolina. She built the home with his grandfather, filling it with sentimental value for the family. After her husband passed away, the house was something she had to remember him by.
During the storm, a tree fell on the house. According to Bradley, the home is likely to be condemned. This was difficult for him since he grew up visiting that house and made many good memories there.
“There [are] memories there in that house that are now all gone,” Bradley said.
He is now having difficulty keeping up with school because he has been preparing things to send to his grandma.
“We have a trailer, and I packed it full of supplies. I went shopping for water, propane, food and other things like that,” he said. “All of that gets shipped out to my family out there, and I didn’t have time to do my homework.”
The hurricane has affected not only students but faculty as well. Stephen Ruf, a professor in the School of Journalism and Communication, has a brother who lives in Waynesville, North Carolina.
According to Ruf, finding water has been difficult because of damaged infrastructure. Money has also been a problem because, until recently, all stores only took cash. Ruf’s brother told him that Walmart only began taking credit cards this past Thursday.
“[My brother and his family] have power, which is good,” said Ruf, “but it’s been a real struggle for all of my family to try to connect with him because they have no working phone or email.”
Southern’s Response
Though the hurricane was unpredictable, Southern planned disaster response trips before the storm began its devastation.
“The storm really hit Friday … so Wednesday, we already had it pre-approved, and [administration] have the processes in place for excusing students from class,” said Cheryl Craven, director of Christian Service.
To help with disaster relief, Southern is sending four groups of students to Fletcher Academy in North Carolina. Due to Southern’s policy that school-sponsored trips can miss only three days of classes, the four groups are being sent on overlapping schedules for more extended assistance. Several groups have already left and relief efforts are currently in progress.
“Administration allows for three days of classes to be missed,” Craven said. “And the way that we’re sending the groups, I think it’s really helpful so that there’s no loss of service. One group leaves, but the other group comes the night before. So we’re able to overlap, and the work will continue every day rather than them being without.”
Over 90 students applied to go on the trip, and as of Thursday, Oct. 3, 69 students would be participating in the disaster relief, according to Craven. Since the physical therapist assistant (PTA) program at Southern is too intensive for students to miss class, Craven said they created their own trip to help during the weekend.
“PTA reached out to us and … said, ‘We really want to respond, but we can’t go on your trip. So, can we do our own?’ So, there’s number four,” Craven said.
Students are involved in several activities in North Carolina, including running Points of Distribution, shoveling mud out of homes, removing debris and potentially tarping roofs with full supervision. According to Craven, the first group stopped on its way to Fletcher to buy a surplus of baby food after being notified that only three jars of baby food were left for the whole district.
“Parents with little ones being without, I mean, that was huge, so they literally stopped and just bought everything in the Walmart on the way there,” Craven said.
Craven said the trips and services on behalf of those affected by the tragedy align with the last part of Southern’s mission statement, which is to equip students to “pursue Spirit-filled lives of service.”
“When we think of being a faith-based university, it aligns with Jesus Christ, who said, in Mark 10:45, ‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,’” said Craven. “So we’re giving a portion of our lives, but it’s just doing what Jesus exampled for us.”
(Photo courtesy of source)
