10-26-24: 

I left home to play IBMA Festival. I was worried, but we didn’t think the hurricane would be that bad. Water levels were high after a storm yesterday. 

10-27-24:

My parents called saying the hurricane was much worse than expected. The road home was washed out and there was no power, water, internet, and minimal cell reception. I felt anxious to get home and help those trapped. Most in Raleigh hadn’t heard about the destruction because western NC couldn’t communicate. 

10-28-24: 

I performed but couldn’t stop thinking about home. Because my family was trapped, I got generators, gallons of fuel and water, and basic supplies on my way home. With the road home impassable and a curfew, I stayed with friends in Deep Gap. I was so eager to help, I chainsawed trees with the fire department until 2am. Even in the dark, the destruction was visible. 

10-29-24:

I attempted to drive home, but many roads were gone. The once beautiful countryside had debris scattered everywhere. People had lost everything. I’ll never forget their heads hung, still in disbelief and shock. I got home driving over fields and buckled roads. My family was ecstatic because I was the first to get through. 

9-30-24: 

I helped with operations getting to those trapped. I cleared the way to my friend Patrick’s house where massive trees covered the road. 

10-1-24: 

I worked with Samaritan's Purse digging out a house covered in three feet of mud washed downstream. I went home that night tired but overwhelmed with gratitude for a warm bed.

10-2-24: 

I was back at it trying my best to clear roads. Normal life, school, football, college applications seemed worlds away from the pressing need for help. 

10-3-24:

I contacted professional bluegrass musician friends to organize a benefit concert, Music for the Mountains, with proceeds donated to communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. 

10-4-24: 

I finally tended to our property clearing the trees on fences and pastures. A tornado had ripped through a forest near our barn toppling a stripe of trees. 

10-5-24: 

I traveled to Newland to clear roads in a camp to provide housing for workers. It was grueling work. We used heavy grading equipment to cut a new road into the mountainside because the original road was impassable.  

10-6-24: 

My dad and I brought supplies to Burnsville and continued to clear roads. Helicopters from Samaritan's Purse and SpaceX landed with supplies. Celebrities Dr. Phil and Mike Coryell recorded our stories to share to increase awareness.

Pictures can’t describe the destruction. Rivers rose wiping out everything, and entire valleys became rivers with only concrete foundations of homes remaining. Many people were ripped away by the waters. In the following days, I hoped my efforts could make a small difference. Life here is still broken, and days are a balance of rebuilding and trying to live normally again. Recovery will take years not days or weeks.