President Connie Ledoux Book sent the following message to the university community in the wake of devastating flooding in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene.
Dear members of the Elon community,
Our hearts are broken as the extent of the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene begins to come into focus. From the Gulf Coast to the Southern Appalachians, scores of people have died and homes, roads and entire communities have been wiped away. In western North Carolina, the flooding is worse than the Great Flood of 1916, the flood of record in our state.
The National Guard, federal and state agencies and disaster relief organizations are mobilizing, rescuing people, getting power, fuel and communications restored and providing basic supplies to the region. In this first week, it is important to let the emergency professionals do their work and not complicate their efforts by traveling to that area, where so many roads are damaged or closed.
Many of you have family, friends and property in the impacted areas and I know you are worried. Students, if you need help coping with this disaster, please reach out to Elon’s Office of Student Care and Outreach, Counseling Services or the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. Employees may benefit from the work-life resources of the Employee Assistance Program.
Many colleges and universities in western North Carolina are dealing with campus damage, closed roads and lack of power and basic utilities. The North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is coordinating help for the private institutions and their students and Elon University has communicated we are ready to assist in any way we can.
Indeed, the needs in that region are overwhelming and the recovery will be measured in months and years. I know you are ready to help and want to take action. The most immediate thing you can do is to make a donation.
- The State of North Carolina has established a Disaster Relief Fund to help with immediate needs. Click here to learn more.
- Many nonprofits are also accepting donations, including the American Red Cross, the United Way of North Carolina and the Salvation Army.
- In addition, gifts to the Elon Chaplain’s Fund are used to support those in our university community who have been affected by tragic circumstances such as these.
The American Red Cross reports that the hurricane has canceled numerous blood drives in the Southeast and thousands of donations have been unable to be collected.
As the emergency situation begins to stabilize, there will undoubtedly be recovery activities that our community can assist with in the months to come. I’ve asked Bob Frigo, assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life to help coordinate Elon recovery efforts, once the region is prepared to receive that type of assistance. If you want to get involved or you have ideas, please contact the Kernodle Center.
Finally, I urge you to think deeply about the scope of this disaster and the ways we can be part of future solutions. We can all learn important lessons about such issues as environmental and ecological stewardship, community planning, engineering design, infrastructure maintenance and funding, human services and social support systems, disaster planning and many other issues.
Please join me in prayer for the thousands of people suffering loss due to this historic disaster.
Connie