Help Audrey and June through flood related loss

On Friday September 27, the effects of Hurricane Helene reached Western North Carolina. Audrey and June Mader lost all of their belongings in the devastating flooding of their town of Swannanoa. Audrey was living in a lovely house with a broad lawn and mature trees where she and June had created a garden and raised chickens and bees. It was a homestead for them, an oasis. As many of you know, June had packed all of her belongings into storage in order to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, beginning in April 2024. She had just summited Mt. Katahdin, completing her quest when word reached her of the impending storm. The house was completely inundated, uninhabitable. Clothing, furniture, electronics, bedding, food… all lost. June’s storage unit was also in the flood. Her books, tools, electronics, clothing, journals and memorabilia were just some of the items inside. There was some insurance, but it excluded flooding. Thankfully, their two cats were kept safe, and the cars were moved to higher ground. Funds are urgently needed to help June and Audrey relocate, clean and store anything they can salvage, and replace the basic items and furnishings needed to go forward. Temporary housing, storage, food, fuel, veterinary care will all be needed until life in that region begins to resume. “Normal” seems a long way off, but hopefully “functioning” won’t be so distant.

Any funds raised will be distributed between the girls as needed to recover their lives.

Here is a photo I took from their back yard last year:

Yesterday after flood waters had receded enough to approach the house:

Unfortunately communication remains extremely limited, so we have no additional photos yet. I will update when possible.