Help Power Jeff and Willow's Road to Recovery!

UPDATE:

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH

I (Eric) am blown away.

Willow was able to get into town and spend some time at the library with the kids yesterday!

Thanks to you:

A Propane Cooktop has been delivered.

Starlink will be delivered next Friday by my dad in person.

Solar has been shipped and is on its way.

FEMA applications are in to help fix the road

On Friday, September 27th, Hurricane Helene hit the slopes of Western North Carolina. Two prior days of heavy rain set the stage for a 1,000 year flood event- up to 25 inches of rain fell in 3 days. My sister, Willow, her husband Jeff, and their two young kids live in an old, dilapidated farmhouse they bought this summer. It lies way up in the mountains and their house is the only one on their road; about a mile long "driveway" that runs parallel to a (usually dry) riverbed. They had been working hard to get the house ready for winter, and yes, there is a winter in NC when you live above 3,000 feet.

After almost 3 days with the tractor and backhoe Jeff was able to salvage a route to get his truck to the "main" roads and into town to resupply and let us know they are OK. A private helicopter was able to bring members of the national guard to check on them and their distant neighbors at the end of day 3 with no contact with them. The below photo was sent by the wife of the helicopter pilot to my mom showing the national guard talking with my sister!

Where do they go from here?

Willow and Jeff are working to get a temporary PO box set up in Johnson City, TN. There won't be any deliveries going to their house for months. The roads that they are able to (barely) navigate around will actually CLOSE when they are finally fixed over the next few months. Their immediate need is power and connectivity to the outside world. They have an old, inefficient generator that is providing some power needs but it is a long, dangerous trip into town to get gas or just to communicate about what they need.

For those who know Willow and Jeff you may know that they would never ask for help. I'm sure my sister was surprised to see the national guard arrive by helicopter. I know for a fact Jeff was absolutely shocked to see the devastation once he finally made it off their driveway. I'm sure they are thinking about those who are less fortunate than them and consider themselves lucky. This being said, in talking to them for the first time after 3 worrisome days, they are more than willing to accept any help that they can get and can't express their thanks enough for anyone willing to contribute in this difficult time.

Thank you!

Eric Mackey