Presbyterian Disaster Assistance volunteers in Western North Carolina in it ‘for the long haul’

PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA — By Thanksgiving, Dr. Anne Waple says more than 450 Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) volunteers will have come to Western North Carolina to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene, which delivered a devastating blow to the region in late September 2024.

And they are just getting started.

While some work is complete, like Sue Green Lewis’ one-story family home in Clyde, other projects are just getting started or yet-to-be-scheduled.

“To just see the joy and help that our volunteer teams get to offer homeowners across the region is extraordinary to see,” says Waple, Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.

Jordan Morris, a volunteer from Columbia, South Carolina, observes, “I didn't know that this existed. I didn't know that we had a relief group that I could join until this trip. And so, knowing that now, and knowing that we are not only a church body that preaches God's Word, but we're out here doing it, that means the world to me.”

Learn more about the work of PDA volunteers in Western North Carolina in this video and how you can get involved at pcusa.org/PDAvolunteersites.

See this video on YouTube.