"We are alive": Community creates whiteboard hub to mark themselves safe or search for those missing
In one small North Carolina town, a patchwork of whiteboards serve as a communications hub where people can mark themselves as safe and search for news of missing loved ones.
The small mountain town of Burnsville was largely cut off from the outside world by Helene’s devastating flooding, but community members have found ways to keep the town connected.
At the center of the small town of Burnside, North Carolina, a patchwork of whiteboards and post-it notes serves as a communications hub where people can mark themselves as safe, write down the names of still-missing loved ones, leave hopeful messages, or list their needs and supplies.
"We are alive," one message reads. "Major damage to property, safe with neighbors."
Tucked deep away in the Appalachian mountains, Burnsville is a tragic scene of washed-out roads, helicopters whirring and stranded residents. AccuWeather's Aaron Rigsby arrived in Burnsville, North Carolina to help tell that story. More than five days after Helene, more than 350,000 customers across hard-hit North Carolina are still without power, according to PowerOutage.us, and all of them are in the mountainous western region that dealt with raging floodwaters and ferocious winds. Burnsville, with a population of about 1,700 in 2022, serves as the county seat for Yancey, which still has about 80% of its customers without power.
Despite the devastation, Risgby reports that locals are coming together. Resident Amanda Keith says she first came to Burnsville because it was known for just this kind of resilience and community.
"People have been leaving messages for each other, prayer requests, just notes—things helpful that might help people find people," she told Rigsby.
Residents of Burnsville, North Carolina, provided whiteboards to help members of the community communicate to loved ones that they are safe and to provide key information and messages of inspiration.
Occasionally, a Wi-Fi signal will pop up, and residents attempt to use it to access information or communicate with loved ones anxious to hear from them.
Mostly, though, residents of Burnsville are waiting for information about when more help will arrive. This was one of the hardest-hit communities during Helene, Rigsby says, and the community does not look like it once did. But amid the confusion, fear and devastation, Rigsby also notes their resolve. "It is a strong [community], and a lot of community members tell me that they are confident that they will bounce back, and they will rebuild in due time," Rigsby said.
