Helene Recovery Donations Organized by Swagelok (SNCET)

Swagelok North Carolina Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief Effort

As many of you have seen or heard by now, Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeast leaving behind devastation that is truly unimaginable. The hardest hit area was Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. This beautiful mountain region that so many love, adore, and once called home was ravaged by what has been called “A catastrophe of biblical proportions.”

The damage this storm left behind wiped out infrastructure like roads, power and water facilities, as well as internet and cell services. Homes, businesses, and entire communities are completely gone.

“More deaths are likely. Communities still can’t be accessed. People are missing. Livelihoods are gone. Family businesses standing for generations wiped out. Babies ripped from mothers’ arms in flood waters. Roads gone. Bridges unpassable. Schools shut down. Tourist towns leveled. People rescued from rooftops with just the clothes on their back. Choppers dropping items into wooded areas. Mules being used to take supplies. This isn’t a months-long recovery. This is years. Once, of course, we actually know the damage. There’s no way yet to assess totality.” Said Molly Grantham, a former news reporter in Charlotte.

What you have seen on the news is only a small picture of the devastation this area is facing. The mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee were not made to handle this type of natural disaster, and the people were not prepared for a flash flooding of this magnitude.

Locally, we have begun partnering with organizations in Western North Carolina to determine what supplies are needed in some of these hardest hit areas. We have associates with family members and friends that are facing the devastation firsthand. Other associates are volunteering their time to take truckloads of resources to drop off points in the mountains. But there is still so much more to be done.

Swagelok and our local sales and service centers have always been dedicated to giving back to the communities where we live and work. We know we are not the first region to face a disaster like this, nor will we be the last. As a global organization we support each other in times of need. It is in times like this where our One Swagelok network can band together to make a difference. Many of you have already reached out asking for ways in which you can help.

Swagelok North Carolina | East Tennessee has started a Hurricane Helene Disaster relief fund to support affected communities over the coming weeks, and months that lie ahead. 100% of funds raised will go directly towards the relief and rebuilding efforts in North Carolina and Tennessee communities.

If you feel inclined to donate to this disaster relief effort to please do so. We will be using our local partnerships (Baptists on Mission, The Bridge Church Hendersonville) and community leaders (Avery, Mitchell, Unicoi, and Watauga Counties) to identify what supplies and volunteer efforts are needed most in real-time and resources will be allocated to meet those needs.

What our region needs most right now are donations, prayers, and support. I ask you, as part of the Swagelok family to please consider strengthening this effort. If you have any questions, please reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Steve Smith