Home Care In Mills River, NC

MILLS RIVER - In Henderson County, rescue and recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Helene continued Wednesday, with county staff from various departments pitching in on emergency response efforts, and a particular emphasis on helping farms.

“We are in rescue mode still,” Mike Morgan, chief communications officer for Henderson County, said Wednesday afternoon. The county had fielded more than 600 calls for wellness checks since the storm hit. Personnel from various departments were pitching in and fanning out to find and assist residents in their homes.

"Total deaths still stands at nine," he said, adding that "“Henderson County is working very hard to take care of Henderson County’s people."

Morgan said people in need could get free bottled water, food, and other supplies at six distribution sites: Etowah Elementary School, Rugby Middle School, East Henderson High School, North Henderson High School, Mills River Town Hall and Fletcher Town Hall.

Principal John McDaris joined volunteers passing supplies through car windows at a makeshift drive-through operation at Rugby Middle School on Wednesday. He said the site had served about 800 cars per day. “Most resources have been given to us by [Henderson County’s Emergency Management agency], which has done a wonderful job of coordinating everything for us,” he said.

A Rugby student, 13-year-old Christopher Kantner, said he and his brother were volunteering while their father was at work. “Kids are pretty confused,” he said. “I’ve talked to some of my friends. It’s hard to understand how much damage there is.”

Sgt. David Mason was also at Rugby, one of about a dozen officers and telecommunications staff from the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, which serves the Outer Banks, who had come to assist Western North Carolina. He said some residents who had been without electricity and phone service were just becoming aware of the distribution sites. “We need to get the word out to the people,” he said.

At county offices in downtown Hendersonville, Jennifer Balkcom, who represents the state’s 117 District, and Rebecca McCall, Chairman of the Henderson County Commission, were among those manning phones in an effort to restore power to farms so their coolers would work, and product could be salvaged. Tomatoes, corn, and berries were among the crops damaged by the storm. McCall said the county had procured Starlink satellite internet systems from Virginia and Alabama and that several area church facilities crucial to storing supplies had been spared from storm damage. “We’re seeing miracles,” she said.

“We’re right in the middle of apple season,” County Extension Director for NC Cooperative Extension Willam Terry Kelley said Tuesday at the Mills River Town Hall distribution site. With apples, “When you lose the tree, you lose the crop for the next four or five years because it takes time to get it producing again.”

“We have lots of agricultural losses in the county,” he said, but didn’t yet have data on the amount or dollar value of the loss. “People were still picking corn, peppers, tomatoes,” he said. “That crop is lost. Once it gets wet, it is unmarketable.”

Super Sod grows tall fescue sod on properties in Horse Shoe and Mills River, both of which were under water, according to Horticulturist and Communications Manager Hillary Thompson, who spoke via phone from Georgia. The local staff of about ten to 15 workers were doing what they could to salvage product. They carried 50-lb. bags of seed — about $80,000 worth — to dry storage, Thompson said.

The flood plain is an amazing place to grow anything because it has rich soil, but it is always under threat, Thompson said. The company anticipates some flooding, but with Helene, “our fields flooded higher than we’ve ever seen or planned for,” she said. Workers were able to move some equipment to high spots on the property, and some homes on company property were safe. The company was not yet been able to quantify how many acres or dollars of product was affected.

“Farm people are like no one else in terms of toughness and what they do,” Thompson said. “They have my highest respect.”

Carolyn Carland, proprietor of Valley Ag Farm & Garden in Mills River, said the family-owned store was seeing strong demand for horse, cattle, and goat feed after the storm. Most farmers who’d come through in the past few days had saved their animals, she said, but she was aware of one farmer who’d lost an entire corn crop, which he’d planned on feeding to his animals this winter.

The store was operating on a generator and was unable to take credit cards. It was accepting checks from regular customers but otherwise required cash payment. Carland said the storm would probably be a wake-up call for people to keep cash on hand for emergencies. “One lady said she was going through her couch cushions, gathering change,” he said.

Carland’s family grows corn and hay on their own land along Mills River. They had hoped to cut more hay this year, but now, “We may be done for the season.”

For assistance, or to volunteer or make donations, residents are advised to contact the county’s non-emergency line at 828-771-6670 or see VisithendersonvilleNC.org/helene-relief.