Stinson family recover from Hurricane Helene

Hello! As many of you have seen, Hurricane Helene has hit our area very hard. No one could have ever imagined a hurricane at over 3,000 ft elevation. In our small town of Roan Mountain, there was an evacuation order placed on the day of the storm. After the storm passed and the sky cleared, many homes and properties were washed away. Our family was lucky to withstand only moderate damage to our home, chimney, and water leakage. Most of the severe damage was to our property, specifically our barn, a full trailer, and any fencing we had. We were without power, water, sanitation, flushing toilets, or phone service for over a week. We also lost 2 deep freezers and 3 refrigerators worth of food.

This is very difficult as a family of 7 and my elderly grandmother living with us as well. We also have found that our well, which is our primary water supply, has been compromised and requires repair, treatment, and further testing. We are not allowed to drink, bathe, wash dishes, or use any of the water from our well until repairs have been accomplished and testing has shown clean water again. We are having to use bottled water donated and hauling in water from outside sources for ourselves and our animals. We are slowly trying to recover.

We are grateful for any and all donations for our family. Also, any money raised will be shared with our neighbors and community as we band together to overcome this never-before-seen disaster.