BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Laura Shelton got up early and headed to the airport Tuesday after Helene hit.
“I started seeing pictures on Facebook Friday morning, and I started to get really worried,” Shelton shared.
She booked a one-way flight from Houston, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina. The plan is to eventually make her way to her hometown of Burnsville, North Carolina, which is about 40 minutes north of Asheville, because her mother and grandparents still live there.
“I got word Sunday morning that there had been a mudslide behind my family’s house,” Shelton recalled. “I thought my family was dead. I had not heard anything.”
After combing through social media and even reaching out to one of her high school teachers, she was finally able to contact her family.
“I haven’t heard their voices, but I got a text message on my way home yesterday, and I just started bawling,” Shelton shared.
She said she received a message from her mom letting her know they are OK.
Yvette Fay shared she is working to help support her friend Layla’s family in Burnsville, too.
“Her [dad] had a store that got wiped away," Fay explained. "She lives on Little Creek in Burnsville, and her entire house is gone,."
The Appalachian State University student and Miss High Country and America’s United States Brand Ambassador said she’s also working to spread awareness about what her hometown is going through after Helene hit.
“There are people in these communities, small towns, and you’re not hearing anything from [people] for days because they have no power," Fay said.
Fay is raising money to help Layla bounce back from the devastation.
As for Shelton, she said she plans to take her mom and her grandparents to Charlotte until they can get back on their feet.
“The small towns in North Carolina need your help,” she pleaded.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.