Helene Relief Fund For Kim And Kelley McWhirter

My name is Katie McWhirter Dockins.

As we all know, Helene has decimated Western North Carolina. My mother, Kim, and sister, Kelley, currently reside in a small town adjacent to the borders of Asheville, NC. They miraculously had only flooding in the bottom levels of their homes and were narrowly missed by landslides in both directions of the only road out of their town.

They’ve gathered some family pictures that were up high, but will not know the extent of the flood damage until they return, and if anything is salvageable, including their houses. A shed containing what was left of my grandparents keepsakes and old home movies/photos is gone, including the concrete slab underneath the shed, if that gives you an idea of the force of the water and mudslides. Memories washed away and buried in four feet of mud in the blink of an eye, but this doesn’t matter. Kelley (sis) and Kim (mama) are alive. Although, both are severely traumatized, exhausted, struggling with an overwhelming sense of survivors guilt, and coming to grips with the fact they are now refugees, they and WE are thankful they are ALIVE.

My mother is a retired schoolteacher and was somewhat prepared with supplies. Her two elderly neighbors were not. She’s been sharing and caring for both, but this isn’t sustainable and they must all evacuate.

My sister has been hiking into her cattery to supply food and water, as the road has crumbled and collapsed. The cattery hasn’t flooded, but the road is impassable. Also, this hike in is unsustainable.

The plan is to evacuate towards the coast. This may take days with paper maps to guide them, as GPS is unreliable. We have booked an Airbnb near Fayetteville that accepts pets. They’re hopeful they have enough gas to make it to stations on I-26.

As you can imagine, my sister, three elderly ladies, two of which are in their late eighties, a car full of feline guests, and an ancient blind and deaf beagle, this evacuation will be no easy feat. They are all alive, and that’s all that matters to them and us.

We (Katie and Jeff) live in Scotland and feel absolutely helpless. Jeff and I have transferred money to help with the expense of the Airbnb. We have no idea how long they’ll have to stay, but we’re grateful they’ll be evacuating to somewhere safe.

Unfortunately, mortgages still have to be paid even if the houses are unlivable. We don’t know how long it’ll be until their homes are habitable again.

Jeff and I are going to try to cover both their mortgage payments for the next few months, but there are still other bills to be paid.

These donations will cover unemployment while Kelley’s workplace is closed, food, temporary shelter, health insurance, medical expenses, rebuilding, etc. My mother is on a fixed income, and Kelley’s business will not be operating for months. Any continued support, even its sharing this link to spread the word and bring awareness, will be appreciated beyond belief.

My mother and sister will never accept charity, which is why I’m setting this up. They will be extremely grateful, and if they don’t use the relief fund for interim accommodation, it will be donated directly to Manna Food Bank Asheville . There is an airstrip with small planes taking supplies in about a mile from their rental rooms. (If you know these two crazy ladies, you know that they are already purchasing and donating supplies to take to the airstrip, out of their own pockets, but I’ve insisted/mandated that they are to look after themselves first with this fund)

This is what I feel I can do from overseas to help in a small way.

We’ve had dozens of family and friends asking how they can help. We are so grateful for all your messages, and the outpouring of willingness to help has prompted us to set this fund up. Y’all will never understand the comfort y’all have supplied through messages of support. Thank yall from the bottom of our hearts. Please help if you feel. Even if it’s a penny. It all counts. If you can’t or don’t feel comfortable giving financially, sharing this page and link publicly is every bit as helpful!

Western North Carolina has a population of roughly 1.5 million people, most living close to Asheville and Boone, but many in very isolated rural areas as well. The news is not reporting the severity of the situation. WHOLE TOWNS have been swept off the map. They’ll never be able to return or rebuild. Many of these families, including my own, are the original pioneer settlers of the Asheville Valley. These people and their ancestors have farmed, built communities and raised their families here for over 300 years. To imagine the hardships our ancestors had to endure in this unforgiving landscape as pioneers, before America was even a country, to watch it all (descendants and transplants alike) disappear over the course of two days is unfathomable.

Everything is GONE. There is no water. There is no electricity. No way in or out except by US Army helicopters. No way to contact rescue unless you’re lucky enough have a HAM radio or a flare gun to signal your location. To add, the terrain/wilderness is extremely treacherous and remote in the most optimal conditions. Best estimate for power restoration is a month at least, which is completely unrealistic given the damage. There’s NO ESTIMATE FOR WATER restoration. This is a catastrophic, once in a lifetime event.

‘Whatever you can imagine as the worst, it’s worse than that.’ That’s a direct quote from a linemen that’s a friend of ours, on the ground near my mothers home. He’s been updating us through Facebook Messenger when he has a chance. He will be forever traumatized by the massive amount of bodies he’s pulling out, with the same being reported over their radio channels for miles. His team has pulled out 200 bodies as of yesterday. There are hundreds of linemen crews there, ALL reporting the same over the HAM radios. If a crew of three has pulled out that many bodies, multiply that by the hundreds of other linemen teams doing the same. The government is refusing to acknowledge the immense loss of life, presumably to refrain from inciting mass panic and evacuation, but the citizens of WNC have the right to KNOW. THE NEWS IS NOT REPORTING 1% OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DEVASTATION. This is one of the largest natural disasters in USA history, and it’s being overshadowed by Presidential Election coverage, mind you, that is more than a MONTH away.

Below is a spreadsheet of relief funds listed as well, if you’d rather donate there. Please take a look if you are looking for a way to volunteer too. This spreadsheet will point you in the right direction. The whole of Appalachia needs us right now.

mannafoodbank

samaritans purse