On the heels of local flooding from Tropical Storm Debby, when Heath Heller, of Hepburn Township and the Delaney Heller Foundation, heard about the devastation from Hurricane Helene, he thought, “How can I help?”

That prompted him to put a post on Facebook asking for people to donate items, which would then be driven to North Carolina.

Response from that post morphed into filling four tractor-trailers full of supplies such as bottled water, toiletries, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items that were collected over six days at various businesses in the Williamsport area.

The items were to be delivered to the Marion, North Carolina area in western North Carolina, where the Heller family has friends, the Vess family, who shared with them their communities’ needs.

Residents of Marion, North Carolina and from the surrounding area collect food and other supplies at First Baptist Church of Marion. Four trucks of supplies were collected in a locally organized effort by Heath Heller of Hepburn Twp. Heller and his family drove down to the areas effected by Hurricane Helene to deliver supplies. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Two tractor-trailers left Tuesday night and the other two left from Montoursville at 4 a.m. Wednesday, along with Health, his wife Carrie and daughter Delaney.

What was normally a nine- or 10-hour drive turned into a 17-and-a-half-hour journey to get the supplies where they needed to be, due partly to inaccessible roads.

“Yesterday was a challenge. We had two loads come into Marion, which were well accepted first thing in the morning. We were told to take two loads over to another town in Marshall … The National Guard was there to possibly offload us, and after about two hours of waiting around, we were told that our supplies were not needed there, and we needed to go to another town, Burnsville,” Heath said.

“So off we go to Burnsville, which was about a 35-minute drive. We get there, there is no one in sight, after we were told there were people to offload us. After about another hour and a half, we finally get in touch with somebody and they don’t want our supplies either. So, back to Marion,” he said.

The crew ended up at First Baptist Church in Marion, but their supplies couldn’t be offloaded until 6 a.m. Thursday.

Heath Heller of Hepburn Twp removes bottled water from pallets next to First Baptist Church of Marion, North Carolina. Water and other relief supplies were driven down to the Marion area after Heller organized a donation drive in the Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“It was quite a day, it was 17-and-a-half hours total for the day,” said Heath.

First Baptist Church and its community center has been transformed into a distribution center for the town that never envisioned Hurricane Helene would cause so much destruction.

“We knew we were gonna get rain and a hurricane, we expected to be without power for a little bit and expected some flash flooding. We never expected it to be this level of devastation,” said Jennifer Jennings, the church’s associate pastor for children and families.

We have folks in the north of our county where whole neighborhoods have been buried by mudslides. We have folks in the west of our county where there is total devastation, it looks like a desert, roads gone. It has been totally heartbreaking,” she said.

Thursday morning the Heller family was back at the First Baptist Church to help offload and even deliver some of the supplies and food to hurricane victims in the community.

The rememants of a house that was completly swept away which was next to Waites Hollifield Road along Three Mile Creek near Marion, North Carolina. Nothing is left of the house and its contents except a concrete slab. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“The gratitude of people, they come up and give you a hug. I just appreciate everyone’s generosity from back home and now we are here to help, volunteering our time down here. I don’t know how many hugs I’ve gotten, but it’s been great,” Heath said with a smile.

One of the Marion residents to whom the Hellers delivered supplies was Patricia Mace.

“We had to evacuate, but we were lucky and the Lord took care of us, it didn’t get in my house,” said Patricia.

The support, both physical and emotional, “has been a real blessing, a real blessing, how everybody has stepped up and offered to help,” she added.

That sentiment was echoed by Karen, of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, where some of the supplies from Williamsport were distributed.

Members of the US Army wait in a cloud of dust late in the evening Wednesday in a distribution center run by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Marion, North Carolina. Food, toiletries and cleaning supplies were delivered to the area which was effected by Hurricane Helene. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“We really appreciate this. We are exhausted, our people are tired,” said Karen.

“We are reeling from this. People are struggling. We really truly appreciate this,” she added.

“I can tell you, you have a lot of prayers and support from far away. We are so happy and thrilled to help you guys trying to get back on your feet,” Heath told Karen.

Heath added that Lycoming County communities had filled four tractor-trailer loads in six days.

“That’s pretty amazing,” Karen said with a smile.

Truck driver, Brandon Stine of Montoursville, Heath (center) and Carrie Heller of Hepburn Twp talk about if they will be able to unload the relief supplies that Stine drove down to the areas effected by Hurricane Helene. The two trucks that both arrived at the distribution area, which was run by the NC Cooperative Extension in Marion, North Carolina told not to unload because the center was at capacity what they could hold. The trucks then left and went to several other distribution sites in that area and were also turned away. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Hellers’ friend Amber Vess, of Marion, who assisted in coordinating the offloading, was also very appreciative.

“It is awesome — we love these guys, so glad to see them … I wish it was under better circumstances,” Amber said.

“It’s been amazing, seeing the community get together and pull things off in such a quick time frame. I didn’t see any hope, and they are turning around. It’s coming along,” she said of her community’s recovery efforts.

“We couldn’t be more thankful,” she added.

The night before the Hellers began their return trip to Pennsylvania, they went on a drive through one of the most affected areas near Marion.

Randall Vess drove the families on a winding road along Three Mile Creek to show them the area where he had helped clear downed trees, power lines and mud that was still flowing across the narrow two-lane road. Parts of the road had been undercut and washed away.

The families also stopped to see where a concrete slab was all that remained of a friend’s house, which washed away.

A few feet around the next corner, Randall stopped the truck and the families got out to see the multiple cars twisted around trees and covered in mud, with only the roof showing on one SUV and only the wheel showing on another SUV wedged between trees and rocks.

Water still rushing down the mountain, over the rocks and trees was the only sound to be heard.

The Hellers and the Vess family took in the scene quietly together, only saying a few words to each other as they looked at the destruction at the top of Waites Hollifield Road.

Back at First Baptist Church of Marion, residents were busy filling bags and boxes of donated items to take home for their families.

“Some of those supplies are being used to take care of first responders who aren’t able to take care of their own families, because they are taking care of all of us,” said Jennifer.

Residents can come in and get cleaning supplies and food, she said, adding that many people are without power and non-perishable food is very important.

“I have just been overwhelmed by the blessings of so many people who want to be a part of this. Who want to help, who have compassion even though they don’t know us, they don’t know even necessarily what we need, just know that we need them there, it really is evidence of God’s great grace and God’s great love, and it has really just touched my heart to know that this community that I love is loved by so many as well,” said a teary-eyed Jennifer.

Patrica Mace of Marion, N.C., and Carrie Heller of Hepburn Twp smile as they hug after Heller delivered relief supplies along with members of a Baptist Church in Marion. Heller and her family drove down to the areas effected by Hurricane Helene to deliver supplies. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Flags along Route 40 near Morganton, N.C. fly in the wind as trucks and cars speed by westbound towards the Western North Carolina early Thursday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The rememants of a truck is buried in debris next to Waites Hollifield Road along Three Mile Creek near Marion, North Carolina. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The rememants of a truck is buried in debris next to Waites Hollifield Road along Three Mile Creek near Marion, North Carolina. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette