Hurricane Helene: One Year Later

One 12 months after Hurricane Helene tore by means of the Southeast and left Presbyterian College’s campus battered however unbroken, the faculty neighborhood continues to mirror on its outstanding response and the teachings discovered from the storm.

When the storm struck on Sept. 27, 2024, PC endured widespread harm. Stately oaks toppled. Buildings suffered water and wind harm. Power and communications had been knocked out. Yet, amid the particles and uncertainty, the PC Spirit prevailed.

“Looking back a year later, I could not be prouder of how our campus came together,” stated PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson. “Hurricane Helene tested us in ways we could not have anticipated, but it also revealed the very best of who we are – resilient, compassionate, and committed to caring for one another. The lessons we learned continue to strengthen our college today.”

Campus response

In the fast aftermath, security was the highest precedence. With communications down, directors and workers fashioned an emergency operations staff the old style means – assembly in individual at set instances and areas. The slogan rapidly turned “PC Pivot,” as plans shifted repeatedly to fulfill altering wants.

Vice president of pupil affairs and dean of scholars Dr. Andrew Peterson remembered arriving on campus the morning of the storm after his personal neighborhood misplaced energy. 

“By the time the storm subsided, I couldn’t even get home for hours because of downed trees. My house had no electricity for 10 days,” he stated. 

To keep near college students, he moved into Clinton Hall, the place the darkness and silence of the primary nights had been “unsettling” and punctuated by false fireplace alarms when techniques misplaced backup energy.

Despite these circumstances, Peterson stated he drew inspiration from his staff and the scholars themselves. Resident assistants volunteered to remain on responsibility, even when their very own properties had been impacted. 

“Our staff never questioned whether they would be there for students during the darkest—literally—of times,” Peterson stated.

Restoring campus

Thanks to auxiliary providers director Jason Koenig and AVI normal supervisor Kirtley Baez, college students by no means missed a sizzling meal, even when energy was out. 

Koenig recalled balancing his function on campus with being a caregiver for his aged mother and father. 

“My wife and daughter were superstars taking care of my parents while I focused on making sure our students were fed,” he stated.

Koenig and his staff labored rapidly to safe meals and provides, even arranging for a refrigerated truck to shuttle meals forwards and backwards from Columbia when deliveries couldn’t get by means of. 

“Talking with students at meal times became a bright spot for me,” Koenig stated. “We were all stuck together, and those conversations were a reminder of the community we had even in the middle of the storm.”

Meanwhile, crews led by amenities director Trent Roark labored tirelessly to clear fallen bushes, restore harm, and restore utilities. The Budd Group helped return the grounds to security and sweetness. Technology providers, led by Kevin Crider, restored community connections as soon as electrical energy returned, reestablishing the digital lifeline of the campus.

This fall, on the school’s Opening Day gathering for workers and college, Roark was named PC Staff Member of the Year largely resulting from his laborious work and dedication following Helene. Gustafson informed the meeting about Roark returning to campus late at evening to make sure that nobody was caught in one of many elevators on campus—a testomony to his sense of responsibility even underneath treacherous circumstances.  

Students main the best way

Perhaps essentially the most highly effective instance of resilience got here from PC’s college students. True to the faculty’s motto, “While We Live, We Serve,” they turned outward to assist the neighborhood.

More than 200 college students – together with total athletic groups – volunteered in neighborhoods, parks, and at Thornwell. They cleared particles, hauled branches, and lent power and encouragement to residents hit hardest by the storm.

Peterson recalled one memorable scene simply after the winds calmed. 

“I walked down Calhoun Street and heard shouting,” he stated. “What I found was a huge group of students playing kickball in the new apartments’ courtyard. Their laughter reminded me that even when technology and comforts are stripped away, we find joy in each other,” he stated.

Students additionally acknowledged how lucky the campus was in comparison with surrounding communities. Some volunteered for search, rescue, and help efforts in Asheville and different close by areas, placing service into fast motion.

A legacy of resilience

For Koenig, Helene introduced again recollections of one other storm many years earlier. 

“In 1989, when Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte, we were without power for 13 days,” he stated. “Experiencing Helene took me right back to that year. You truly relied on your neighbors and family then, and it was the same lesson again here – community is everything,” he stated.

Today, one 12 months later, the campus has not solely recovered but in addition grown stronger. Many of the teachings from Helene – the significance of versatile planning, the necessity for clear communication channels, and the resilience of scholars and workers alike – are actually embedded within the school’s strategy to disaster administration.

Gustafson stated these classes lengthen far past emergency preparedness.

“Hurricane Helene reminded us that buildings can be rebuilt and new trees planted, but the true heart of Presbyterian College lies in its people,” she stated. “The courage, generosity, and determination I witnessed last year will remain a part of our story for generations to come.”