As soon as he stepped out of his car after escaping Asheville Saturday night, he said “I got to get back there, those people need so much help”.

For those who don't know his story, Nate attends school and runs cross country at the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA). When the storm hit last weekend, he was there and weathered it with his friends. Originally thinking it would be a bad storm resulting in a few days without power, it soon became clear that the situation was dire. Against all odds and with all roads to Western North Carolina closed, he navigated his way home to Charlottesville late Saturday night.

While I was relieved to have him home safe, I knew I couldn't keep him home for long. He had an immediate pull to go back and help. On Wednesday morning, just 4 days after making it out of the catastrophic situation, he headed right back into it with supplies. He is now working with his pastor at the church he attends there and is part of a very personal effort to help the communities who have been the hardest hit.

As probably you’ve heard, the consistent message from Nate and others on the ground is that it’s so much worse than we can imagine. This is not a rebuilding mission—this is a life saving mission. People are still stranded and will die without access and support. Nate has seen things I have worked 20 years to shield him from. Elderly people have been found a week later, unable to care for themselves when their care workers didn't show up. Houses have been washed the length of 2 football fields by mudslides. So many cars with windows smashed by people needing to escape. The stories he is telling me bring immediate tears to my eyes.

Obviously there are devastating stories of loss and tragedy, but there are also small stories of resilience and perseverance. Yesterday, an old man walked 7 miles to Nate’s church with his wheelbarrow to bring water home to his family. Tiny children are carrying two cases of water at a time. Volunteers are relentlessly and compassionately doing wellness checks on everyone they’ve been notified about. This morning Nate said “everyone is helping. Just everyone.”

Since Wednesday, with your donations, Nate has made 10 grocery store trips and delivered supplies to people in Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Spruce Pine and Weaverville. He has driven thousands of miles and more than 11 hours a day. He is traveling to some very hard to reach places and getting supplies to farther out, desperate communities. With your donations, he will continue his efforts. The process is gradually shifting to rebuilding, and future funds may be spent on food, water, building supplies, gas, tools, and equipment that is so desperately needed.

When he was much younger, he once chopped wood for three days straight. I had to force him to take breaks for sleeping and eating. He didn’t want to stop when he knew there were still logs to be split. He is tenacious and determined. If you’re looking for a very personal, direct way to help during this tragedy, please consider donating to help Nate help Asheville. I’ll try to post updates when I can, but in the meantime know that I am reading him every encouraging message you send and they are so appreciated. Thank you so much for believing in Nate and helping him help the town he’s grown to love.