RURAL APPALACHIA RELIEF BUTTER SOP 19W COMMUNITY

Where does one even begin to put the pieces together when things are so scattered?

Hey Everyone,

Hurricane Helene devastated many parts of the Southeast United States, but one of the hardest hit was rural Appalachia. The Cane River Valley/ 19W corridor is one of these areas. No one could have expected or prepared for the river to rise over 30 feet. Lives were lost. Houses swept away. Roads completely destroyed. Jobs became non-existent. Bank accounts emptied.

YET WE BAND TOGETHER AND KEEP GOING.

This is a gofundme for the Butter Sop Rd community on 19W. They banded together to ensure the safety of their small community. Pulling a man from his house moments before the river swept it and all his possessions away. Evacuating a pregnant woman who went into hyper tension. Running generators through the night to keep life-saving machines running or charged to avoid fatal consequences. Hiking over the ridge to get help from an outside world.

Now, as we’ve gained some ability to access the area, the devastation starts to weigh on our hearts. Where does one even begin to put the pieces together when things are so scattered?

The Butter Sop community is comprised of a handful of families, most with small children. Nearly all of them are out of work with bills and basic needs that, once manageable, now seem impossible.

If you can, please give. This will be long road and we’ll walk it together.

My name is Charles Clyde Toney II and I’m working with the Ratliff and Bartholomew families for this effort.