Donate to Dalton: A Hero in Hurricane Helene Relief

As many of you know, Western North Carolina was decimated by Hurricane Helene Friday. Realizing his knowledge and resources could be of help, Dalton loaded up his tractor, arborist equipment, and gasoline and made his way to Western NC to clear paths so rescue workers can get into areas blocked off by fallen trees and debris. After several hours of cutting and clearing, members of the local fire department, department of highways, and the nation guard joined in. Dalton, being in his field of expertise, took the lead and helped coordinate a system that allowed us to work efficiently with the manpower and resources we now had. We began cutting and clearing at an incredible rate, but when we inevitably ran into an issue, they all called for “The Arborist”. Dalton would pause the task he was doing, jump into action, slice a tree up, and keep us moving forward.

The next morning, after a couple hours of sleep, we started clearing another road, which would allow us to access Spruce Pine to see our parents and would allow the National Guard to continue on with their mission to Burnsville. During this trek, a tree limb punctured the hydraulic pump on Dalton’s tractor, rendering it useless. Complicating things further, this happened so far up the mountain that we had no choice but to leave his tractor there until he’s able to come fix it. This is a big blow, as he will not only have to come up with the money to fix the tractor, but without the tractor, he will be limited in his ability to work. It could be months before he’s able to get to the spot his tractor is being stored, due to the fact that he will need to haul a trailer up the mountain to get the tractor down.

I’m so proud of his leadership and hard work and hate the fact that his amazing efforts are taking such a big financial toll on him. He volunteered his time, energy, and equipment to help a community in need. We cleared roughly 12 miles of road and opened the door for emergency personnel to get in and for trapped citizens to get out. I think that is something worth celebrating! I’m hoping that we can band together as a community and help him cover the costs of his repairs, time, and travel back to pick up his tractor.

With or without his tractor, Dalton will be headed back to Western North Carolina to continue his efforts to clear the roads and bring supplies to those still trapped in their homes or in their towns.

With the money raised, Dalton will be able to load up with supplies (Blankets, towels, food, water, gasoline, etc.) and make another trip over to Western NC to clear more roads and deliver the supplies to those in need!

A donation of any size is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!