Helping after Helene (Ryan Kerstetter and The Cajun Navy)

Hello All, Thanks for taking the time to stop and read this.

Elizabeth and I moved to the Western North Carolina mountains September 2023. When we say Western North Carolina, we are on the Tennessee border next to Turtletown, TN. Extreme Western North Carolina. Asheville is 2.5 hours east of us. The eye of Helene went over us and we all know the devastation to our east. The worst of a hurricane is the top right quadrant and this was no different for Helene.

Why am I setting up a gofundme?

First, I like so many want to donate, but don’t know where. I want to donate to get the max amount of my donation to help those who are dealing with the absolute unfathomable catastrophe and fighting for their lives. I want to know that my donation isn’t being syphoned into some major charity where only 30% of my donation actually helped.

Let me introduce a buddy of ours that we met the day we put a contract on our new land. Elizabeth and I met Ryan and his wife Savannah at a small cafe here in Blairsville (Halfway Cafe for the locals). Ryan was wearing a shirt that had everything listed on the back… excavation, grading, septic, etc that we would need. I asked if I could take a picture of his shirt. Turns out, Ryan and Savannah were doing exactly the same thing we are doing, just 1.5 years ahead of us. They were starting construction on their home shortly. Ryan, being in construction, was actually building their home himself, with house plans drawn on a napkin! Amazing. From that day forward Ryan and I have texted almost daily about updates on their property, and ours. It’s great to add them our amazing list of friends.

We were there when the foundation was poured, to the passing of many inspections, and finally the final CO and they moved in.

Fast forward to Helene’s approach. Tuesday and Wednesday, we texted about the impending storms. As Glenn Burns, retired meterologist for WSB stated, “Quiet frankly, I have never seen anything like this set up in all my decades forecasting. We have a hurricane and also an upper level low pressure center in northwest Tennessee interacting with each other. This is unprecedented. I know enhanced rainfall for sure. Low pressure area d’s repel each other. This will be one for the books and will no doubt see many case studies in the future”. -Glenn Burns Facebook post Wednesday 9/26/2024,

As the storm ravished Florida and made its way north, we hunkered down. Saturday we started seeing all the devastation to the east and we agreed while we were fortunate, the Asheville and surrounding areas were decimated.

Sunday I get a text from Ryan.

“I’m heading to Asheville in the morning if everything works out”.

He was organizing to meet up with some people and although it didn’t work out, he loaded up his truck with a chainsaw and tools, pulling a trailer with more supplies and his 4 wheeler.

He left blindly for Asheville Monday morning with 1 thing on his heart. To help those in need. I checked in on him throughout the day knowing cell service was limited. The first hand account he told was incredible. The pictures he sent were astonishing. At the end of the day, around 9:45 pm I asked, “where (are) you sleeping”? He said, “not sure I am sleeping but if so on the sidewalk”. I said, “find a church!”…. He said, “I’m young, I can take it”.

He was able to team up with the incredible Cajun Navy. I implore you to look them up. Chilling and amazing story from their foundation in 2005 to deal with Hurricane Katrina.

Monday night Ryan and his team had 26 Starlink systems they delivered up unto 2 am.

Tuesday saw more organization and 2 more relief stations setup. As expected a busy day. They shook hands with Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina. He was able to sleep in an Elementary School setup up as another relief station. This text caught me by surprise….

”the smell of death was pretty strong today”.

Wednesday they rode 22 miles in on 4 wheelers to total waste lands. Ryan noted the amount of supplies coming in was insane.

Thursday much of the same.

Ryan came back yesterday and will need much rest and decompression. Follow his account, @Ryan Kerstetter on facebook.

The reason for me starting this gofundme is, as stated before, to help those that need 100% of the donation given. Minus the fees that gofundme takes. These funds will be distributed to Ryan Kerstetter and the Cajun Navy with boots on the ground.

I hope you will find it appropriate in these challenging times to donate what you are able to and know that 100% of the funds are being used as they should. God Bless those affected by Helene, and God Bless those who are in need.

Thanks again for reading.

Ryan and Elizabeth Bier