Once the scope of the damage left by the remnants of Hurricane Helene became readily apparent, Tom Meadors knew he’d pitch in to help.

As with hundreds of others, it was only a matter of when and how.

So, when the opportunity presented itself through his church, Winston-Salem's Calvary Baptist , Meadors signed on.

A group called Baptists on Mission, was looking for volunteers to head to hard-hit areas around Swannanoa and Marion.

Cleanup would be job one, would-be volunteers were told. And it wasn’t going to be easy work. Nearly 30 inches of rain fell on some mountain communities in 12 hours when storms stalled over the region on Sept. 27, 2024.

Normally docile creeks and rivers turned into raging torrents that washed out roads, demolished homes and swept rocks the size of minivans

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