Hurricane Helene was an unprecedented event for Western North Carolina, and App State did the best they could given the circumstances. The last time Boone experienced major flooding comparable to the damage Hurricane Helene caused was in 1940, over 80 years ago.
The unfortunate reality is mountain towns like Boone are not equipped to handle the type of weather hurricanes bring, but due to climate change, Boone may not have an option. This is the first time in recent years App State has been tasked with handling a weather storm of this magnitude with this many students enrolled in the university.
Although the hurricane caused damage to campus buildings and infrastructure, the dorm buildings remained safe. Immediately after the hurricane, many posts circulated on various social media blaming App State for their underpreparedness in the wake of the hurricane, and how the aftermath was handled.
While the university could have done certain things differently, they put forth a great effort to handle a weather event that is rare in the area. The entirety of Western North Carolina was underprepared for the hurricane, and the only option was to make do with the resources available to them.
App state was criticized for its lack of preparations and its handling of the aftermath of the hurricane, but the university did the best it could. The university sent out multiple emails to all students warning them of the incoming hurricane, along with best practices to stay safe and evacuate if possible. For example, one of the emails stated that the university was in contact with the National Weather Service to remain updated. This email also advised students and faculty to review the emergency preparedness measures that were linked and included tips for what to do during an outage.
Immediately after the hurricane on Sept. 28, Interim Chancellor Heather Norris sent an announcement to students and faculty updating them on conditions and other pertinent information.
“Since early in the week, App State staff have been working around the clock to prepare for, and then respond to, Hurricane Helene,” Norris wrote in the email.
Some of the things App State did in preparation for the storm included clearing drains for stormwater runoff, preparing meals at Campus Dining and keeping Plemmons Student Union open and running. It can be easy to complain about ways the university could have prepared better, but there were a lot of tasks completed by the university that went unnoticed, and listed above were just a few of those.
In addition to this, the university chose to put their students and faculty’s safety first by closing the university until Oct. 16. Yes, App State could have — and should have — closed for a longer period of time, but the fact the closure lasted as long as it did illustrates the university’s commitment to the safety of its students.
In addition to preparing in advance for the hurricane, App State did many things in the aftermath that were overlooked. Central Dining Hall remained open for not only campus members but also members of the local community, free of charge.
Additionally, the university offered Wi-Fi to the public, as well as a place to do laundry for students whose residence was impacted by the flooding. The Holmes Convocation Center was also opened temporarily as a disaster relief center for those needing shelter. These are just a few of the attempts made by the university to provide support to the community during the aftermath of Helene.
Although it is true the university did not do a perfect job with the preparation and handling of the storm, nobody did. Additionally, the aftermath of such a catastrophic event is not the time to be handing out blame. Now is a great time to come together as a community, and instead of placing blame, use what happened as an opportunity to better prepare the community and town for the next time this happens, because there will be a next time.
