The ceremony was held at Old Fort Elementary on Sept. 27.
McDowell County Manager Ashley Wooten recognized public officials who were present for the Saturday Hurricane Helene remembrance ceremony.
Marion Mayor Steve Little spoke about how our community dealt with this massive disaster. He also led everyone in the singing of the hymn “Farther Along” and played it on his harmonica.
Scotty Swann tells his story about how he survived Hurricane Helene when the storm swept through Old Fort.
McDowell Sheriff Ricky Buchanan spoke at Saturday’s ceremony at Old Fort Elementary.
McDowell Commission Chairman Tony Brown talked about how the county and Old Fort in particular were devastated and have since been on the road to recovery.
McDowell Chamber of Commerce President Kim Effler spoke at Saturday’s ceremony at Old Fort Elementary. She talked about how she reached out to Old Fort’s business owners to find out what they needed after Helene hit the town.
A resilience and reflection ceremony took place Saturday at Old Fort Elementary School, which was flooded with water and mud from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, 2024.
Terry Wilson told his story about how he and his elderly mother survived Hurricane Helene when the storm swept through Old Fort.
Pastor Jerry Lewis of Grace Community Church talked how there are 26 homes in McDowell that will be rebuilt and all of the home rebuilds will be funded by Samaritan’s Purse organization. There are 24 points of distribution in McDowell in the event another similar disaster happens. Plus, a church in Raleigh stands ready to assist McDowell if we are impacted again, he said.
McDowell EMS Director Will Kehler speaks at a Hurricane Helene remembrance ceremony on Saturday in Old Fort.
Old Fort Mayor Pam Snypes spoke about how her town made it through the storm and how it is recovering from Helene.
McDowell School Superintendent Tracy Grit talked about how Old Fort Elementary was flooded and how the school’s students and staff had to relocate to Pleasant Gardens Elementary. The flood damage at Old Fort School has been cleaned and repaired and now it is back to where it was before Helene.
The McDowell High NJROTC presented the nation’s colors at Saturday’s resilience and reflection ceremony.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards spoke at Saturday’s ceremony at Old Fort Elementary.
J.W. Kelley, president of McDowell Technical Community College, spoke at Saturday’s ceremony at Old Fort Elementary.
Greg Conley sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful” at Saturday’s ceremony to mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis spoke at Saturday’s ceremony at Old Fort Elementary.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium of Old Fort Elementary to mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which devastated McDowell County and the rest of western North Carolina.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium of Old Fort Elementary, which was flooded during the hurricane.
