6,000 Latter-day Saints Bring Relief to Hurricane Helene Victims

Before Hurricane Helene struck the United States on September 26, 2024, Carolyn Ward of Fairview, North Carolina, felt disillusioned by the negativity she saw in the world.

After the powerful storm brought five feet of water through her home — which in turn brought the helping hands of many on October 5 and 6 to clear away the muck — she saw another side of humanity.

“I have seen the best in people in the past five days,” Ward said as she stood among the debris of her damaged home. “It’s made me feel better about the world in general, even though I’m standing in absolute chaos. I feel better about the world right now than I have in a long time.”

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Ward was among the many residents who received help from 6,172 Latter-day Saints volunteers from 400 congregations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. These volunteers traveled to various parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to assist in the relief efforts at more than 3,000 homes. Through coordination at 11 command centers throughout the region, they spent more than 77,000 combined hours mucking out flooded homes, clearing debris, removing downed trees and tarping roofs.

One of those volunteers who helped Ward was Stacey Bruno of South Carolina. She travelled two hours to help this woman she did not know.

“I hope [this experience] restores her and all our faith in humanity,” Bruno said. “In the political landscape, and just life in general, we can be bombarded by negative stuff and falsely begin to believe [false messages about people]. I hope that she knows that we are people who just love.”

Bruno, carrying a keychain with the inspiring message ‘Think Celestial!’ from Church Prophet and President Russell M. Nelson, reflected on the deeper meaning of their service.

“This [service] is a wonderful opportunity for us to think about our eternal natures and the eternal natures of those people that we come in contact with,” Bruno said.

Saiid Rabiipour and his wife, Ursa, are two others who have benefited from Latter-day Saint service. They have lived near Asheville for nearly 30 years. Saiid noted the irony of struggling to receive help from his home insurance — which he pays for — and the ease with which he has been helped by volunteers who charge nothing.

“What’s so overwhelming is the love of the community and the people. They are being guided by God to be here,” Saiid said. “Without the community, I would be helpless. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Saiid, a man of faith, said he knows that “this too shall pass.” With his damaged home as backdrop, he shared his conviction that “we will be victorious. I have no doubt in my mind. My faith is in God, and nothing can shake that.”

A continued volunteer effort in coming weeks and months will be critical to sustaining such hope.

“This recovery effort is months,” Bruno said. “It’s going to be hard for me to leave [Sunday] and go back home to my regular life knowing what I know and seeing what I’ve seen.”

Kyle S. Gillett, president of the Church’s Asheville North Carolina Stake, works at a hospital. In his professional life he has seen people there working shifts around the clock to help people. And on the ecclesiastical side, he said it is beautiful to see believers come together in service.

“It’s certainly not just members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [doing service here]. We’re embedded in the Bible Belt, and there are so many people who are seeking to serve and do what Christ would do at this time,” President Gillett said.

To those nearby who want to help, President Gillett said the best thing they can do is first make sure their own communities are OK.

“We love all the support we can receive. But we want to make sure that folks are first taking care of themselves,” he said. “A theme that I have been seeking to live by and counsel by this week is something Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: stand close together and lift where you stand. Once your local communities are supported, then reach out and see where else you can support.”