Treveccan Stories: For Such a Time as This

Alumni in Asheville, North Carolina, were uniquely positioned to make a difference when historic flooding devastated the area one year ago.

In the final days of September 2024, a hurricane making landfall 500 miles away from Asheville, North Carolina, was about to forever change this city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Hurricane Helene initially hit the coast of Florida, but as it continued to travel upward it would eventually drop 30 inches of rain on Asheville, causing catastrophic flooding and mudslides. Much of the area was left without electricity and running water for weeks. Approximately 80 percent of the city’s art galleries were destroyed.

“We first experienced flooding in our basement,” recalled Gary Ball, a Trevecca alumnus who serves as an Anglican rector in Asheville. “Then the electricity went out. A giant oak tree fell and clipped our chimney and landed on our front porch.”