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In the middle of a seemingly ordinary freshman lock-in, Dr. Massucco found herself torn between the festivities unfolding around her and the devastation taking place thousands of miles away. With her phone in hand, she anxiously tracked updates on Hurricane Helene, explaining that she “was getting updates of images of places that were flooding, places where I had just spent the summer that are no longer there.” She recalls the surrealness of watching beloved landmarks disappear in real time. All around her family, the storm’s impact has been devastating — “Most of the highways were washed away,” leaving many trapped or displaced. Amid this chaos, her anxiety deepened as she waited for news of her family, particularly her sister-in-law, who was on the verge of giving birth.
On September 26th, 2024, the devastation of Hurricane Helene was unleashed as the tropical cycle struck land in Florida’s Big Bend region—then traveled through the South. When it made landfall, Helene was at its peak strength—labeled as a Category Four hurricane. Helene was the deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland United States since Katrina in 2005.
Just two short weeks later, Hurricane Milton approached and struck Floridians once again—initially marked as Category Five but making landfall as a Category Three in Florida. Both Hurricanes caused damage in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Caribbean prior to reaching land in the United States.
In North Carolina, over 250 fatalities have been reported as a result of Hurricane Helene, though the state is unable to confirm the total amount of missing individuals since the storm; this is by far the largest death toll of any southeastern state due to Helene. One of SHP’s community members, English Teacher Maria Massucco, is originally from a rural area in Wilkes County, North Carolina. The majority of Massuco’s family remains in Wilkes—including her parents and all of her brothers.
This summer, Massucco visited her family and even attended a local retreat with her mom. Since then, the retreat center has been destroyed by the mass flooding of Hurricane Helene; “This place in Nashville where I had gone to a weekend retreat with my mother and friends is not even there anymore,” Massucco recalled. In fact, nearly all of Massucco’s neighbors’ homes have lost power, lost access to clean water, or have been blown away or destroyed entirely by Helene.
Fortunately, Massucco’s family was one of the few homes that sustained minimal damage compared to the rest of the county, and they were able to maintain power and water. Since the Hurricane struck, the Massucco family has been generously using their good fortune to support the local community. Their farmhouse has become a shelter for local families to clean clothes or take a warm shower. In fact, they’ve been so busy that Massuco’s parents warned her that if they didn’t keep in contact for a few days, it was because there were so many people receiving service at their house.
From the other side of the country, it can be difficult to see this devastating crisis and feel like there is not much direct support you can give. Massucco explained how she felt a “complete mental detachment from the world where [she] had just come from and where [she is] now.”
<strong> </strong>However, there are multiple avenues to support affected communities. Food banks and church-run charities are dedicated to getting individuals items on a daily basis. As Massucco emphasized, “If people are capable and have the means, now is the time to do so.” This is just the beginning of long-term relief efforts; the devastation in Massucco’s family’s regions and others require investment long-term—a relief effort will span long time.
Here are ways you can help today, provided by SHP English Teacher Jake Moffat:
While the news cycle has moved on, those living in Western North Carolina are still suffering from the massive destruction of the recent hurricanes. Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. A huge portion of the population of Wilkes County (the home county of our own Ms. Massucco) has been displaced or deprived of basic resources. Residents are in desperate need of clean water, diapers, batteries, camp stoves, tarps, blankets, etc. Many people are currently camping out because their homes are underwater. Please consider helping Dr. Massucco’s hometown through this tragedy.
<strong>Donate directly to the </strong><a target=”_blank” href=”https://unifiedcitychurch.com/give”>Unified City Church</a><strong>.</strong> (Select “Justice Project” for the fund). The Church is a 501(c)(3) organization that is purchasing and distributing items daily.
<strong>Purchase and send items via an </strong><a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3V5ZMD6CZZVK2?ref_=wl_share”>Amazon Wishlist</a>. (For shipping: select “Unified City Church Gift Registry” – Items will ship directly)
We will get a daily update of items in need, so the wishlist will be updated.
<strong>Donate to the </strong><a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.redcross.org/donate/dr/hurricane-helene.html/”>Red Cross</a><strong>. </strong>Donations to the Red Cross support a wider range of Helene victims.