When Hurricane Helene hit the mountains of western North Carolina, communication lines were wiped out, cutting people off from emergency services and their loved ones.

But one woman in the small town of Andrews didn’t wait for help, becoming a lifeline for people across the country instead. Close

Cherokee Co., NC woman connected families across the US after Helene

“It was an event like no other, you know, like nothing that we've ever seen in these mountains,” said Emily Malin.

After the storm, cell towers were down, and no one could get through to their loved ones.

Malin herself was anxiously trying to contact family members in some of the hardest-hit areas.

“We had family in the areas that were destroyed,” she said.

Just days before the storm, by sheer coincidence, Malin and h

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