Hurricane Helene - Locating Family
It’s been a busy few weeks! My sisters, our TLC+ Team, and our Friends and family have shown unforgettable kindness over the last few weeks. A quick look at how it all started.
On September 27th, I woke up to a beautiful day in Connecticut with typical thoughts regarding the day’s schedule, getting kids to school, my work day, kids’ sports, etc. However, that changed when my sister Katie called at 7:30 am asking if I had heard from Jennie, Mom, or Dad (our Asheville-based family). It came rushing back that Hurricane Helene was headed in their direction. In full disclosure, we both thought the storm was going to be wind and rain from the outskirts of Helene, not the eye which was preceded by 2 days of rainfall totaling 24 inches. At this point in the morning, I had not heard from them and the hours kept ticking by with no word from our NC family. Katie and I worked diligently via NC local facebook pages for the next 48 hours to find out if our family was okay. To our relief, they were fine with minor property damage. However, the mountains we were raised in didn’t fare the same. As the WNC residents were able to get online and share pictures, Katie and I were heartbroken. With Katie in Michigan and myself in Connecticut, we felt helpless. As the days went on we had little communication with our family, we relied on the news and social media to keep us updated. This was enough to get us moving! We needed to help and so we did!
Hurricane Helene - Taking Action
On October 1st, I posted my intentions to raise funds, food and water donations as well as warm jackets for a trip to WNC. Katie and I began planning, and mapping a safe route since the roads were closed. While I was running logistics in CT, Katie was online arranging my travel needs. With all roads closed to the general public, Katie had to register me with the state, refer to the good ole paper maps, and find a way in! Over 5 days, my community in CT, as well as our friends and family from across the country donated $4500, 40 cases of water, countless canned goods, diapers, pack n plays and so many bags of warm clothing! We were and still find ourselves truly moved when we realized how many people cared about the devastation in WNC and our family. We can’t say thank you enough. My sisters and I continue to collect donations in our local towns since the people of WNC are still without power, water, and heat. In so many cases, these families have lost everything.
In addition, we are raising funds through our company! Tipsy Life Co has been and will continue to donate all profits from our WNC STRONG Collection until the mountains are whole once again. These mountains give so much to so many and we will bring them back to their majestic beauty! The Appalachian people have weathered the storm and we want to help them rebuild everything they have lost. We are WNC STRONG! Stay tuned for more blog posts from Jennie, Katie and me as we cover our experiences traveling, volunteering, and raising funds for WNC.
