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“I’m just so proud of my neighbors.”
Getty Images: Wang Yukun
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Getty Images: Wang Yukun
In light of the path of destruction of Hurricane Helene through Central Appalachia, rural communities are forging important paths for delivering aid and care to their neighbors. Amid widespread power outages, loss of cell phone coverage, and no Wi-Fi, local radio stations are a lifeline for people heavily impacted by service outages.
After a 24-hour period offline due to the storm, cut-in crews cleared a path to WWNC News Radio in Asheville, the oldest radio station in western North Carolina, where host Mark Starling camped out to broadcast critical information for listeners within its coverage area.
Starling told CNN that they used the satellite internet service Starlink to stay online, providing updates on road closures and relief centers, opening their phone lines to anyone able to call in with questions, information, or simply to say that they were safe. Starling himself, who calls Black Mountain home, started taking calls on Thursday evening and even spoke with his wife on the air for the first time since the total communication blackout.
In Haywood County, about 20 miles west of Asheville, residents of the town of Canton, NC tuned into local country station WTPL to hear the voice of their Mayor Zeb Smathers, who provided a close line of communication to their rural town, the community, and its specific needs.
After Tropical Storm Fred hit the Canton community hard in 2021, local leaders made a plan for the future: reach residents in a time of crisis county-wide through the radio. The scale of Helene put their plans to the test, and it took some time, help from the U.S. Forest Service, the local fire department, and a propane powered generator.
"Thanks to a little mountain engineering and a lot of chainsaw work, WPTL is back on the air," a Haywood County Emergency Services Facebook post read. "Tune in soon for emergency coverage." The airwaves were open, up, and running with vital broadcast coverage by Sunday. Mayor Smathers shared essential updates including water and food distribution locations, reinforcing words of comfort, resilience, and hope.
Other local radio stations like WGRV Radio Greeneville in Greene County, TN, have provided constant live coverage over radio as well as on social media platforms like Facebook Live, which has been a big resource for many rural communities. Blue Ridge Public Radio's airwaves remain open with essential information, including Wi-Fi centers for people who are still impacted by power outages and little or no cell phone service.
Back at WWNC, one caller expressed a familiar sentiment shared across many rural communities as they shed light on local recovery efforts, “I’m just so proud of my neighbors.”
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