Helene Hits The Carolinas - The Aftermath

Let me preface this article by saying that our horses are fine, the stores are fine, our employees are fine. Fine being a bit relative in this situation, we are all healthy and ready to get back to normal!

I’m not going to lie, 9/27 was terrifying, we awoke at my farm in darkness to howling winds and torrential rain. I can cope with that, #horsegirlstrong . However, I was not ready for the tree crashing through my barn while surrounded by 70 mph sustained winds. We received a long sustained gust of they believe 100 mph, and the hundred-year-old oak simply could not hang on.

Being unable to check on the horses was very scary. Thankfully I had moved most of them across the aisle away from trees or objects that might become displaced. Lego was the only one in a stall that was damaged and thankfully he was uninjured. Once the storm moved off I could see my pasture fences were unscathed by damage. The horses all went outside and the feral TNR cats who live on the farm all made their way to food stations on the property. Even the juvenile hummingbirds were back at the feeders like nothing happened. Meanwhile, the community is a mess.

The Landrum store was without power for several days, but our incredible staff all showed up ready to pull and ship orders on Monday. Everyone who could make it in came in to help clear and tidy inside and outside the store. Most of us went to work after printing nearly 200 orders from Thursday forward. We pulled orders with flashlights and hand-wrote shipping labels like it was 2005. If you placed an order please know, that tracking info is going to be delayed, and you will likely get your order before tracking gets put into the computers.

Our store at Tryon International has full power and is ready to help the community with whatever you may need. We know many of you have reached out on social media and by email and cell phone to check on us and we are VERY appreciative.

I’m currently sitting here at Tryon International Equestrian Center simply in awe of what they have been able to do for our community They have set up a FEMA command center on the hilltop above the facility ( I lovingly refer to it as Mount TIEC) A field hospital has been set up nearby to help those in need of medicine and care after the storm. Mount TIEC has also been a source of communication for those seeking cell service to connect with family and loved ones.

Down in the facility, TIEC is hosting linemen from around the country here to help our local power workers get everyone back on the grid. They are the first ones to stay at the new onsite hotel! TIEC employees helpfully guide evacuees to restaurants and RV sites. Meanwhile TIEC is also acting as a donation distribution center for food and water to locals in need. Additionally they are hosting many horses who had to be evacuated due to rising flood waters, lack of power/water or who otherwise needed a safe place to go.

Our little community is really pulling together to help those both near and far who need a safe place to land to get back on their feet. Many of you have reached out and asked how you can help, here are some resources that are helping the area that could definitely use your help.

Danny and Ron’s rescue is bringing car loads of cat and dog supplies for all of our smaller furry friends.
Cat food, dog food, kitty litter – it’s all been SO helpful since even most of the grocery stores weren’t able to open at first!

Tryon International is currently accepting donations of the following items:
They can be dropped off at the entrance to the Indoor complex or shipped to:
Tryon International
Attn: Hurricane Donations
4066 Pea Ridge Road
Mill Spring, NC 28756

Water
Non-perishable food items
Hygiene items
Baby formula and diapers
Towels
Socks and underwear
First aid kits
Batteries and flashlights
Portable chargers/battery packs
Animal hay and feed, animal food, and kitty litter
Shovels, tarps, chainsaws, and work gloves
Hand sanitizer
Buckets and trash bags
Coolers

They are also accepting donations to support all the workers who have come to help, lineman, FEMA etc. contact media@tryon.com if you would like to volunteer to assist with distribution.

Fleet of Angles is providing disaster relief to horse owners in the area as well.

I will update this list as time goes on, or you can DM me on IG or FB with resources I can add to this list.

Honestly I feel like we can count ourselves lucky our damage is what it is. Further up the mountain has it so much worse than us. There is a lot of focus up the mountain where the National Guard and the Army are zoned in on harder hit areas where people are still stranded. Even just 20 miles away at Lake Lure the flooding has washed out roads and entire communities when one of the dams failed.

To put it in perspective the area got 3 months worth of rain in 48 hours. There was absolutely no way to prepare for this kind of devastation. Mountain towns typically don’t get hurricanes! We thank everyone for thinking of us and offers to help! As soon as more info is available I will update this post.

Stay safe everyone!
–Michelle, Allie, and of course, the entire staff here at The Farm House.