HURRICANE HELENE RESPONSE

Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September 2024, affecting much of the Southeast United States including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The total death toll reached 251 deaths and an estimated $78.7 BILLION in damages. Western North Carolina was especially devastated.

Although Legacy Fitness & Nutrition was not yet formed, I had just moved to North Carolina a few weeks prior to the deadly storm. Although not personally impacted, I listened to emergency messages being passed via amateur radio, coordinating search and rescue efforts. At the time there were over 100,000 missing persons and welfare check requests. I decided I couldn’t sit by when I had the ability to help. So I called up an old buddy of mine, Jamie Guy of PRX Wellness and asked if he would accompany me on a 48 to 72 hr relief / search and rescue mission. He agreed and the two of us gathered supplies bringing several thousand dollars of food, water, medical and power supplies into Western North Carolina. We arrived 3 days after the initial storm effects, right when people needed supplies the most.

We were immediately welcomed for the supplies and skills we brought, me having emergency communications and military skills, and Jamie having medical skills and skills he learned in the Army. We were integrated into or provided support to Emergency Operations Centers in several counties including Buncombe Co., Mitchell Co., McDowell Co., and Yancey Co., which were some of the hardest hit counties in North Carolina. We met some incredible heroes, shared some heartbreaking stories and provided all the help we were able to, including searching for survivors who had been cut off from the rest of the world at the time. I can’t list all the lessons we learned here, but I did realize how valuable being fit and “ready for duty” was when waist deep in mud. I can’t post all the pictures, but I’ve included a few of the ones that I can here. There’s so much more we didn’t capture in pictures because that was never top of mind for me. It was all about providing as much help as we could with our limited time and resources.

Damaged house with a roof in disrepair, American flag hanging outside, patio with chairs, and debris on the yard.
View from inside a vehicle showing a store called 'Micaville Country Store' with construction or renovation work in progress, including dirt and yellow safety barriers in front.
A helicopter flying in the sky above a wooded area, with two people in black shirts taking photos of it from the ground.
A man with a backpack taking a photo of flood damage, with fallen trees and debris in a muddy water landscape, under an overcast sky.
A man with a beard and sunglasses giving a thumbs up in a parking lot, wearing a dark graphic t-shirt, tan cargo pants, and hiking boots, with cars and a church in the background.
A man wearing a navy blue t-shirt, khaki cargo pants, tan boots, a black cap with blue sunglasses on top, and a stethoscope around his neck standing next to a utility vehicle with emergency equipment and supplies, giving a thumbs-up with one hand. Th
Damaged sidewalk and road with exposed dirt and gravel, construction or repair work in progress, vehicles parked and driving on the street, trees and buildings in the background, and a man looking at the scene.
A damaged sign for Swannanoa First Baptist Church with debris and rocks around, and a mountain in the background.
Large pile of rocks and debris from flood damage with damaged structures and scattered debris in a rural area.
Signs advertising free hot meals and pretzels, with serving hours from 10 AM to 4 PM, and a sign indicating free hot food across from Beacon Village.
Debris and damaged structure from a flood, with fallen trees, mud, and scattered materials in a rural area.
A building with part of its structure damaged and debris scattered around, including a fallen tree and a damaged car. The building shows signs of severe destruction, likely caused by a natural disaster.
A car has crashed into a building, breaking through a garage door and being partially buried under debris and large rocks. The car's windows are shattered, and the scene shows significant destruction.
Fallen tree blocking a dirt trail in a forest with mostly leafless trees and some green foliage, under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Road construction site with excavator and bulldozer clearing debris from a collapsed building near a roadside.