Hurricane Helene Family Story

Story

This story was submitted on September 2, 2025 by [anonymous user]

Title: Hurricane Helene Family Story
Description: Hurricane Helene Family Story

My name, as I go by in my daily life, is Wyntre. This is my story, and my family's story, of the impacts of Hurricane Helene on our lives.

Before the storm (Sept 25–26, 2024):
On September 25, 2024, our household was already in crisis before the hurricane. I experienced severe myoclonic tremors that caused me to break a window. Our service dog Buddy injured his paw, which required vet care and slowed his training. My partner Cat had just started at a pain clinic for EDS, degenerative disc disease, and myasthenia gravis. She was approved for short-term disability around August, 2024, though the financial impact left us struggling. These were the conditions we were in BEFORE Hurricane Helene struck.

During the storm:
Helene hit our area on September 26–27, 2024.

I had been tracking Helene on Accuweather, NOAA, NHC, WMO, NWS, etc. I knew she was going to make landfall in Florida the next morning, and noticed how large she was and her pathing. So we called the non emergency police line to ask about shelters, evacuations, preparations for people who have medical devices and will need power if it goes out, etc. With the county under a state of emergency, we were put on an "evacuation" list so if evacuations become mandatory they will helicopter us if they have to. We were told there weren't any shelters as they weren't expecting "anything that bad", They told us if we are worried to write our names and Identifying information on our bodies in sharpie.

We lost power, communication, and access to reliable information around 5 to 6 am in the morning on September 27th. A transformer blew and that was the last time we had power. I did try to call 911 but the connection was fuzzy and she kept repeating back the wrong address. After that, no attempts connected at all.

Flooding and storm damage made travel unsafe. Roads were blocked by piles of trees that fell. 6 or 7 huge forest trees laid one on top of the other every few feet along the roads, making natural dams. Portions of the road flooded away entirely, and some areas didn’t even have a full lane left. Bridges were flooded or missing completely. Even today, some of these areas are still just gaps in the roads.

Medical care and supplies became inaccessible (Medical machines that need power or clean water, medications that need kept chilled, etc.)

During the storm, My partner Catherine and I took shelter in a bathroom with our service (neuro alert) dog, Buddy, while trees fell and water rose. Suzy and Anthony sheltered with Luna and the other dogs we had at the time in the larger bathroom. At one point Cat and I used our daughters mattress to cover our heads from falling trees and debris. Our daughter was luckily with her other parents in TN during the storm, and wasn’t caught in it or harmed.

When someone finally did show up from EMS, they had to hike up the road to use their satellite walkie talkies because the service here just *didn't* exist.

Immediate aftermath:
On September 29th we were evacuated from Boone, NC, by ambulance, requiring EMTs to hike us a half-mile over trees and through water because roads were impassable. We stayed at the hospital as a makeshift shelter until October 1st, when my family "rescued" us.

Our dogs were left behind and later rescued by Cat and some kind neighbors who helped personally get her back to the damaged home despite the road conditions, then transported to the humane society. This happened while still at the hospital. Suzy was actually admitted for a few days, so we were there a couple nights.

Both cars were lost—one to a tree, the other to lightning. The house sustained minimal structural damage, but walls bubbled and peeled from the foundation, and bathrooms leaked. There was some damage outside as well. Minimal damage can still be catostrophic when struggling financially.

My mother, brother, and his partner drove a two-car caravan through treacherous conditions to bring us to a family home in Tennessee, which was good short term but not sustainable long term.

We opened a FEMA Case from the hospital during the evacuation, and I remember when I first tried and I put in North Carolina, it said “No disasters in your area, sorry”. It wasn’t until I tried again later that night that it actually worked.

Our insurance company initially denied coverage, claiming the house was fine based on a distant photo. FEMA inspection was rescheduled due to us being across state borders and unable to meet with the agent.

Mutual aid was the only support we could rely on. Traditional disaster response in our area was limited or delayed.

On December 9th, 2024, FEMA inspected the house, and we awaited correspondence. On December 10th, 2024, Legal Aid called to discuss Medicaid and food stamp representation. On December 11th, 2024, our appeal for hurricane damage coverage was denied due to "insufficient damages."

We relied on community donations through Patreon, Medium, and GoFundMe to address immediate survival needs.

On October 19, 2024, my wheelchair broke while at a FEMA hotel. Cat helped secure a free replacement wheelchair through a hurricane relief program with Mac's Medicine Mart, and I’m still using it to this day. I’m forever thankful to Rob from Mac’s medicine mart!

Our FEMA hotel → Self Paying Hotel stays line up as follows

October 18th - Transfer from Self Paid to FEMA hotel (they didn’t have any rooms available until this date) for Cat and I while Suzy and Anthony opted to stay with my family close by until our second hotel room got approved.

October 20th - All 4 household members are reunited and living the FEMA hotel in TN.

Jan 20th - Boone Hotel Cat/Me/Buddy - Self Pay
🔶Movement
🔶January 10th
I talked to a TSA agent through FEMA.
🧑🏻‍🦽: "We need an extension."
👺: "Your home is deemed livable. Try a hospital, and if it's an emergency try 911."
🔶 January 14th
🔸FEMA stops paying and we begin paying out of pocket
🔶 January 15th
🔸Operation boots on the ground reaches out to me promising help and huge things. We cry and trust them.

🔷Hotel coverage:
🔹Week 1: We payed for and Cats grandma covered the difference. Operation Boots on the Ground begins working with us and our damaged home
🔹Week 2: We used points from the hotel reward program to get us like a week
🔹Week 3: We use more hotel reward points to book a Hotel in Boone, our hometown. Putting us closer to the damaged address while OBOTG work continues.

Ongoing impact (Early 2025 to Present:):
The year 2025 began with a blizzard. Our home was still without floors (which had taken subfloor damage from the storm).

FEMA approved a used car before a government freeze, restoring some mobility. Cat's grandma helped with hotel costs. While Operation Boots on the Ground and Samaritan's Purse initially offered help with home repairs, Samaritan's Purse ultimately denied us assistance due to "gender orientation reasons".

On February 16, 2025, I broke my left forearm after falling off a hotel sidewalk while trying to navigate around a woman blocking a wheelchair ramp. I underwent emergency surgery for a comminuted, shortened, angulated, and displaced mid-shaft fracture, requiring metal plates and screws. My service dog, Buddy, was present and helpful in the ER.

Luna and Buddy were the only two dogs we were able to get across the mountains during our hotel stays. The FEMA allowances for our family was 2 rooms, and the hotel policy was one animal per room, service or non. So we only were able to reunite with two of our dogs. The others all were adopted out of the humane society and have found forever homes.

By March 2025, Suzy and Anthony, along with Luna, had moved into our hurricane-damaged home with Cat and me. Cat and I had returned with Buddy shortly after the broken arm incident due to FEMA and Hotel assistance finally running out, leaving us no other option. For a short time WAMY provided a Camper for Suzy, Anthony, and Luna, but this also was short term. WAMY Still contacts us to try to help on occasion.

By May 2025, we had a working stove and toilet in the master bathroom again, thanks to a new kind helper. Cat cooked our first non-microwaved meal since Helene.

Recovery has been slow. Even a year later, we are still dealing with the physical, emotional, and financial fallout.

Our medical needs remain high, and storm-related disruptions worsened ongoing conditions.

We continue to live with storm trauma layered on top of existing disabilities.

Archiving this story matters to us because disabled and marginalized survivors are often left out of the official narrative of disaster response and recovery.

Videos:
Part 1: Long Form: Storm and Initial Evacuation
https://youtu.be/1_6PVrXHpXE

Part 2: Long Form: Hospital and Evacuation
https://youtu.be/ibQCPCh_yY0

Part 3: Short Form: Weather Alerts
https://youtube.com/shorts/sYcZ0zAuTRo

Part 4: Short Form: Before and After the Storm
https://youtube.com/shorts/TttNvnXjWrM

Part 5: Short TikTok: 4 Months Later
https://www.tiktok.com/@eternal.nyx/video/7469298865741516062

Part 5: Short TikTok: 9 Months Later
https://www.tiktok.com/@eternal.nyx/video/7524772309941357854
Spatial Coverage: 2294 Shulls Mill Rd, Boone NC, 28607
Date: September 27th 2024
Creator: NC