Hand in Hand Through Hurricane Helene

June 23rd, 2025 by Katie Gates in Press Release

After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, members of the Theta Nu Chapter at Appalachian State were back on campus, demonstrating remarkable resilience and unity, volunteering with local organizations. Chapter alumnae worked to ensure affected members were taken care of by the Foundation’s Forget Me Not Grant.

Hurricane Helene, made landfall in Florida as a category four storm on September 26th, moving north causing widespread destruction and flooding in six states. Included in Helene’s devastating path was Western North Carolina, leaving unexpected and severe impact on the Boone area, home of Appalachian State University and the Theta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi. Communities were left with widespread power outages and communication challenges, making it difficult to account for members and assess the damage. Despite these obstacles, Alpha Phi Foundation’s Forget Me Not Grant proved to be a vital resource, and sisters stepped up to provide crucial support to the community.

The complete disconnection from modern communication, a new experience for collegians who grew up in an era of constant connection, made the aftermath feel “apocalyptic”. Chapter Advisor Megan Maloney (Theta Nu-Appalachian State), away at the Alpha Phi Disney Leadership Institute at the time of the storm, faced a frantic few days of immense difficulty confirming the safety of members.

Ironically, I was at the Disney Institute with Cayce Blackley (Theta Nu-Appalachian State) and our Chapter’s attendee, Lily Fox, when the storm hit. Thankfully a majority of our members had left Boone to go home in anticipation of the storm, but there was so much uncertainty and trying to do what I could from afar. I am so grateful I was with Cayce and other leaders from Alpha Phi to help me put a higher level of emergency plan in place. When I was able to reach my president on the phone like it was like going way back in time, ‘Can you hear me now?’ It was just a wild 24-48 hours as we were trying to account for everyone. Lily is from Asheville and we had learned her family’s home was destroyed. When we returned back to Charlotte, my car had been destroyed. But we still didn’t understand the magnitude of what was going on in Boone at the time.

In response, efforts were made to reach out through texts and social media once service was restored, prioritizing those in the hardest-hit mountain areas. “Part of our emergency response plan was specifically to determine who from our chapter, current members and alumnae, might need financial assistance. We had a Facebook Messenger group of something like 200 sisters and it started to take off; it was such a lifeline for so many of our sisters.”

In the weeks and months that followed, Alpha Phi members and alumnae engaged in extensive volunteer work, partnering with organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, a global disaster relief organization headquartered in Boone to provide immediate hands-on relief efforts. An alumna in Charlotte organized an Amazon Wishlist, collecting and sorting donations that filled two large U-Haul trucks driven to the mountains. Another alumna volunteered in Lake Lure, near Asheville, at a makeshift general store, transporting and distributing supplies and involving her children in the relief efforts. Her daughter and a friend even raised over $500 for Samaritan’s Purse and the Blue Ridge Relief Fund by selling bracelets with the names of mountain towns.

Months later, some communities are still without basic necessities like grocery stores. The Foundation’s Forget Me Not Grant was instrumental, with many applications submitted on behalf of sisters who were unable to apply themselves or were hesitant to ask for help. The influx of donations to the Forget Me Not fund following Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires underscored the significance of our sisterhood and the desire to fulfill our commitment to generosity. The Alpha Phi sisterhood continues to stand by everyone affected, demonstrating incredible strength and a commitment to restoring their lives together