When a tragedy strikes involving water and rivers, the tight-knit whitewater community is often quick to respond. No better example exists than the efforts of helpers and rescuers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the Southeast. From manufacturers to outfitters, retailers and regular paddlers, the community has kicked into turbo drive to help those in need. Following are a few tales of their efforts and where some of them were when flows spiked, making all of us proud to be paddlers…
First Off, the Flows: At Least 34 New Flood Records Set
Want some perspective on how massive the flooding was? The U.S. Geological Survey reports that at least 34 new flood records were set across the Southeast from the flooding, including such records as the Nolichucky cresting 160,000 cfs; the Pigeon River cresting 29.72 feet, topping its record from 1902; and the French Broad topping its 1916 record with a water level of 24.67 feet in Asheville, N.C.
The USGC is actively repairing vital stream gages that were damaged by the storm, with USGS Southeast Regional Director Holly Weyers saying it will continue to work with federal and state agencies to provide vital science that can be used to inform decisions that can help protect lives and property. In addition to repairing stream gages, many of which were destroyed by floodwaters, field crews are also collecting flood data that will be used to determine the extent of the flooding. But the bottom line is USGS streamgage data indicates that at least 34 new flood records were set across the southeast from flooding caused by Helene: Eighteen in North Carolina, six in Tennessee, six in South Carolina, three in Florida and one in Georgia. The total number of flood records set by Helene will likely increase as more data becomes available. One known provisional flood record set by Helene was a water level of 24.67 feet on the French Broad River in Asheville, North Carolina. This new provisional record was measured by a USGS stream gage September 27, 2024, breaking the previous water level of 23.10 feet record at this site in July of 1916. In Newport, Tennessee, USGS field crews were able to measure high-water marks left behind by flood waters and determined the Pigeon River reached a provisional peak water level of 29.72 feet. The previous record on this river was 21.40 feet set in 1902.
The highest rainfall total was in Busick, N.C., with a three-day total of 31.33 inches. At least a dozen weather stations recorded their wettest three-day periods on record. Several rivers surpassed their highest-ever crests by several feet, including the Swannanoa River, which saw “the worst flood along the river since North Carolina became a state,” the state office said.
Hurricane Helene: Industry Reports from the Field
Eric Revels, Watershed Drybags
Watershed, whose drybag manufacturing operation is situated right on the banks of the French Broad, was hit hard by the flood, which crested at a record 24.67 feet on the gauge, but slowly recovering. Below is an update from Watershed’s founder and CEO, Eric Revels:
“We have been hit hard by Hurricane Helene last Friday. As you may have heard, Asheville received around 24 inches of rain, as well as devastating winds. This was considered to be a 1,000-year flood event. Thousands of trees were felled and many landslides occurred. As you can see from the photos, we are very near the French Broad River, and we have been flooded with four feet of water. All of our equipment and most of our materials inventory was flooded and destroyed.
With that said, our employees are all accounted for and in good health. Our building and infrastructure is fine, except it is very muddy still. We have moved all salvageable items out, and we have begun a major cleanup. We also have a professional disaster cleaning and recovery firm on site. Also, we have ordered all new equipment and materials, and intend on restarting as soon as possible.
We have no running water in the entire city, and cellular service is spotty. We also have no internet access apart from cellular data. We rescued our server, which houses our business management data, and hope to have it up and running in a different city by today. Watershed will continue to pay all of our staff for the duration of this outage. We appreciate your patience and understanding. As we get confirmations from our equipment and material suppliers, we will keep our customers informed of new delivery dates.
Please look into helping other families and businesses in our region with their disaster recovery efforts. We will be back to you with further information as it develops. Thank you for your continued support—we’ll be back on the river soon! #BackontheRIver!” Read more on their Instagram account HERE.
Cooper Lambia, Astral Designs
Mike Patterson, Pyranha
“As of October 3, the situation in Erwin is bad, but vastly better than the more remote surrounding areas. We have full utilities restored to 70% of the county. The Forest Service, National Guard, and locals have used heavy machinery to access most everyone in our county, and while some residents might not be able to leave, supplies can be delivered. Pyranha is located on the banks of the Nolichucky River, but high enough to avoid catastrophic damage. However, downstream of us was not so lucky, the highway is gone, along with nearly every house on it. Entire communities are washed away or buried under sand, most of the rafting, kayaking, and river-related businesses are complete losses. The river reached 160,000 cfs, which is double the highest-ever recorded flood. As it exited the walls of the gorge, it spread out almost a mile wide in Erwin, leveling homes that were nowhere near the river. On a positive note, the character of the people really shows in a disaster like this. I have never been prouder of our town for the immense volunteer response, and Erwin Utilities for the speed of which they got us back up and running.”
Other Help Provided by Paddlers
Along with countless others chipping in to help, ACA instructor Andrea White of Georgia Rivers has been busy organizing her local whitewater community help with Hurricane Helene relief. Following are some of the efforts she has unearthed, as well as links where you can find out more…
John Grace, Green River Conservation Project
In a Facebook post, longtime paddler, filmmaker and The Hammer Factor podcast host John Grace reported he is focusing his efforts on restoring the Green River, which was ravaged by the floods: “The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene at the Green River is hard to comprehend. Residents have not only lost their homes and belongings, but the land beneath them has been stripped away. The landscape has been forever changed. Our grassroots fundraiser could never raise enough money to replace homes and put in infrastructure we can give back to the community that has always welcomed us with open arms. We are dedicating 100% of the funds raised to the restoration of the Green River. While agencies will handle road repairs and power restoration, it’s up to us to help restore the area itself properly. This means removing houses and cars from logjams, retrieving trailers from treetops, and reintroducing native vegetation. The money raised will cover the costly work of large scale debris removal, trucking out waste, and restoring the Cove to its natural beauty. There’s a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror—it’s time to focus on the future. And that future is a clean and beautiful Green River community.” Read more here: Gofundme.com/f/green-race-conservation-project
Elsewhere, ACA Instructor Trainer and H2O Dreams owner Chris Wing has also been instrumental, marshalling resources in Saluda on the Green River. “Several friends have asked about how to direct financial donations to support the recovery effort from the storm in Western North Carolina,” he posts, recommending this website: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/. Read more HERE
French Broad Academy
With the French Broad hitting a flood record with a water level of 24.67 feet on the gauge in Asheville, the French Broad Academy organized https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/, with a focus on getting aid and supplies to the more remote and isolated communities and neighborhoods of the region. In particular, it is hoping to direct its efforts in areas where residents often cannot access resources provided in towns and community centers. “Our mission is to build resilient communities in post-Helene Appalachia,” the site states. It’s complete with resources, volunteer options, FEMA assistance, and more. Click HERE to donate
Dane Jackson/Mason Hargrove
You couldn’t ask for a better pair of kayakers to patrol flood-ravaged waters than paddling icons Dane Jackson and Mason Hargrove. The two took to their local rivers paddling flood decimated runs searching for people and missing items people might want returned. They have also made several trips into the Gorge on foot carrying hundreds of pounds of supplies for the people who remain. They posted a video of their efforts HERE.
Sarah Beth Neal, Outdoor Adventure Rafting
Outfitters sprang into action as well. Led by company owner Sarah Beth Neal, the Ocoee River’s Outdoor Adventure Rafting in Tennessee chipped in by organizing a team to haul donated food, water and resources to storm victims. Many of the company’s river guides also lent their expertise to the effort in western North Carolina. (Neal left with a company van full of swiftwater experts and donated items the day after the storm hit.)
According to a story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Neal has spearheaded the effort, but admits she had no idea how much she’d be needed or how many people needed help.
Neal team, all with swiftwater rescue and emergency medical training, tried to reach communities cut off by storm damage to provide supplies, medical aid, information and transportation. Many of the roads could only be traveled on foot.
“These people often can’t get out, and they can’t get out with their vehicles as well, so even if they get out of their communities, they’re on foot,” Neal told Chattanooga Times Free Press. “There’s also no cell service at all in the affected areas still to this day. We meet a person every day who thinks the rest of the world is gone. That’s what we’re doing right now. We’re the first team that left … and we’re just scouting communities. Information is the most valuable resource these communities could possibly have. We’re scouting these places one by one. Sometimes we show up to a place and they’re OK, they’re self-sufficient, they’ve got ATVs and they’ve personally moved things around so their roads are accessible. But a lot of times we show up, and they have had no contact, they have no food, they have no water and they need assistance. We’re trying to stabilize communities one at a time.”
The story goes on to report that Neal and her team have coordinated more than 200 volunteers through an online database and are trying to “self-empower communities so they can self-serve and take care of themselves as fast as possible. My predominant focus in leading this team of volunteers is getting in touch with these Appalachian communities and making sure everybody has food and water. Recovery missions are very important for closure and deeply important to the community, but we don’t want to add to the recovery either.”
RiverFolkRescue
As soon as the storm hit, ACA Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Sarah Arvidson did her bit by starting posting an interactive Google doc in Facebook groups for Southeastern paddlers to share resources with hurricane victims, including for people who would be needing a place to stay in the weeks, months, and years to come. Her GoogleDoc allowed people to publicly offer spaces in their homes and her efforts resulted in https://riverfolkrescue.com/. Here’s what the website is all about:
“Without any further ado, we are absolutely DELIGHTED to introduce to you the website for Riverfolk Rescue. Please submit your requests for aid on this website. Please submit your offers of aid on this website. Please see this website for our Venmo information. Please see this website to learn more about who we are and how we got to this point. Please share! We are working with some existing maps and other relief organizations to make sure that our information does not overlap, that it is up-to-date, that it is organized, and that people can more efficiently get the help that they need while minimizing any waste of time, resources, or manpower. Everything submitted to our site goes to our own databank, where we have people working to ensure that requests are addressed in the quickest manner possible.
I was supposed to be planning my wedding. I wanted to offer my spare room to friends displaced by this tragedy. Instead, I accidentally helped to form an amazing organization that has already generated an incredible amount of good in an unbelievably short amount of time. When Hurricane Helene began to drop massive amounts of water in Appalachia, the whitewater paddling community was one of the first to realize that the scale of this disaster would exceed expectations. Accustomed to watching river gauges with a hawkish eye, we observed in horror as the numbers revealed river levels never witnessed before.”
More info here: hurricanehelenewnc.com
The Nolichucky and the Eddyhopper Workshop
In Erwin, TN, ACA Instructor-Trainer Trey Moore of Eddyhopper Workshop coordinated efforts on the Nolichucky River and into the remote communities near Poplar, N.C. “What all have we accomplished?” he posts. “Not only have we put food and supplies in hands, but we helped establish critical supply and emergency lines that were cut off.” See updates on his Facebook page HERE:
Other efforts on the Nolichucky River were coordinated through the Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts Facebook group supported by Club President Brad Eldridge and ACA Instructor Trainer Scott Fisher, owner of Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute, and leaders from USA Raft. Fairly quickly, civic leaders in Erwin developed the Unicoi County EMA volunteer link and RISE Erwin began corralling opportunities and resources for help. Read more HERE