Help Katie and Allie Rebuild After Hurricane Helene

It was 4am when Allie made the phone call. Sirens screaming in the background, her frantic voice saying the water was swallowing their neighbor’s home. This was the start of what has become an unreal existence. They had a chance many others have not had, to hear their parents voice tell them to toss their cat and dog in the car and drive to higher ground.

They sheltered in place with several friends in a home cut off from the rest of the world. Little did they know that they were only a small piece of the nightmare happening all around their city. What started as a bad storm became days of no running water, no power, and no cell service. When the sewage system backed up, they found themselves living in increasingly primitive conditions. Venturing out for supplies, they discovered a new reality—cash only, their digital lives rendered useless in a world suddenly stripped of modern conveniences and things we take for granted. The next hit was the destruction of Katie’s school where she began her career as a teacher. Her beloved classroom under 5 feet of water. Adding to a list of teachers, including Katie, with no job.

They returned to their home to find the crawl space completely submerged, a front porch falling in, toilets backing up, concrete broken and a garage full of water. Scared and listening to the county announcements, they risked the drive to their parents in Charlotte. They drove past nightmares from a horror film that will forever mark their twenties.

The greater loss of lives, homes, pets, jobs and businesses is beyond what their minds can put together. They know how absolutely lucky they are to have each other and their Sage (cat) and Olive (dog). This is not even close to the worst case, but it is devastating to these two beautiful people starting out in life.

As they face the long road of rebuilding, they know that not everything can be restored. They're simply hoping for help to repair their home, to have a foundation to start again. Their story is one of thousands, but it's one where we can make a difference.

For Katie and Allie, every donation is more than money—it's hope. Hope that they can return to the home they love, hope that they can rebuild their lives, hope that this chapter of their story doesn't have to end in loss.

Your support, in any amount, will help Katie and Allie repair their home and begin to rebuild their lives. Thank you for being part of their journey back.