One year after Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, the town of Boone gathered not to relive the destruction, but to reclaim hope. On Saturday, September 27, neighbors filled the community for “Hope after Helene,” a day of remembrance and healing made possible in part by a grant from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).
“Helene was a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Cove Creek Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Marks. “It was one of those events that you never stop processing, and the largest single catastrophic event that I’ve experienced,” said Marks, who has been involved in emergency management for 43 years.
The 2024 hurricane caused historic flooding, landslides and destruction in Boone and the surrounding countryside and towns, leading to sinkholes, road closures, damaged homes and flooded businesses, including Appalachian State University.
Rather than focusing on the devastation of the storm, the event aimed to spread what singer-songwriter David LaMotte called “deep hope,” or transformative hope, said Jacqueline Henry, a local psychologist and chairperson of the event.
After reading a Duke Divinity School article in which LaMotte explored the idea of deep hope, Henry contacted the internationally known performer and speaker to ask if he would serve as the keynote for her hometown’s hurricane anniversary. She had no clear plan for funding or even a venue, but once LaMotte agreed, the rest of the event began to take shape.
LaMotte, who lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, but travels all over the world to perform and speak, said, “This felt like a sacred invitation.”
Henry joined with a few friends to help form what became the Watauga County Long-Term Recovery Group. They secured funding from local churches and NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) High Country, and PDA.
“We wanted to make sure that the event was provided at no cost to the community,” said Jane Alexander, a volunteer and family support group facilitator with NAMI.
The Saturday gathering offered something for every corner of the community — practical support, creative expression and moments of reflection. From a resource fair connecting residents with mental health, recovery, legal aid, housing and church groups, to a children’s book reading and signing, a poetry reading, and even a communal quilt-making project, the day offered both healing and opportunities for participation.
“Our community is stronger because of what happened to us,” Alexander said.
The program culminated in a powerful finale: a keynote on deep hope from LaMotte in the afternoon, followed by his free evening concert at the Appalachian Theatre.
Following his keynote address, LaMotte said that the crux of deep hope is that it is chosen and active. “Deep hope is where we point our lives in spite of the odds,” LaMotte said.
Opening for LaMotte were songs from the new musical “1940,” which recalls the resilience of High Country residents after the devastating 1940 flood — a storm eerily similar to Helene.
Volunteer fire chief Marks gave opening remarks before LaMotte’s keynote. He noted the remarkable ways the community united after the storm. “There was no religion or politics involved, just neighbor helping neighbor,” Marks said.
The day came as a source of relief for an exhausted group of county residents who are now true neighbors, organizer Henry said.
“Things came together in a way that was truly divine, from God,” said Alexander.
