Waffle House, Without Power, Works To Feed Residents In Western North Carolina As Communities Reel From Hurricane Helene Devastation

Casey Young·
CULTURE
·
Waffle House culture
@ChrisHallWx/@DE_LoganS

You can always count on Waffle House.

Of course, I think many have seen by now that the current scene in western North Carolina is completely devastating — there’s really no other way to put it. Hurricane Helene came through the southeast on Thursday and Friday, wreaking havoc on Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and other states in its path.

But what happened in the southern Appalachian mountains of North Carolina is utterly heartbreaking. Over a foot of rain fell on cities like Asheville, which had over 14 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday. Some areas like Busick received nearly 31 inches, and Spruce Pine had 24.12 inches through 8AM Saturday.

Catastrophic flash flooding, mud slides, and downed trees took out homes, cars, and even entire towns in some cases. Very sadly, a total of over 150 people have died so far from Helene in multiple different states (with many more still missing), and that will only continue to rise as water recedes and emergency workers can continue to assess the tragic situation.

Towns like Chimney Rock and Old Fort look to simply be gone, leaving only rubble and devastation behind:

You can see Lake Lure (where Dirty Dancing was filmed), filled with debris from people’s homes. In some cases, it could be remnants of entire houses or other business buildings:

Asheville, the biggest city in the North Carolina mountains, was hit extremely hard, and many of the more remote, more rural areas nearby look as bad or so much worse. It’s hard to even put into words the amount of devastation and loss that has occurred:


The terrain in this part of the state is mountainous, and many people live in extremely remote areas that are tough enough to get to as it is. Many of them have been without power, water and cell service for days now, and it’s beyond heartbreaking. There’s really no words to describe how dire and bad it is.

But there is hope, and so many have stepped up to help by donating money, time and even resources to those in need, including NASCAR owners Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick, who are using their private helicopters and planes to assist in recovery efforts however they can.

Driver Greg Biffle, along with Cleetus McFarland, is also helping organize donations and flying them to areas of western North Carolina that are only accessible via air… and that’s an incredibly large part of the region at the moment due to many road closures.

Joe Gibbs Racing and many other speedways and race teams have been collecting donations and filling up haulers to send up the mountain with much-needed supplies, and Waffle House is feeding many Asheville residents in the area who have gone days without a real, hot meal.

In addition to that, they’re providing meals to local shelters where evacuees are currently staying:

And guess what… they’re doing it without power.

I’m sure they have a generator or gas stove to allow them to cook the food, but in all the sadness and despair, it’s encouraging to see the community step up like this. Many of the employees are likely without power and other essentials themselves, and the generosity and earnest kind hearted nature of my fellow North Carolinians never ceases to amaze me:

Here’s a map of the Waffle Houses that are currently open in WNC and the surrounding areas:

One Asheville resident shared that they “almost wept” after having an egg and cheese sandwich the other day. A hot meal goes a very long way in a situation like this, and I’m thankful for all of their efforts:

There was also a Domino’s mobile relief truck spotted, and many others have donated food or brought mobile kitchens up the mountain to feed both Asheville residents and emergency officials, lineman and others who are working so hard to help everyone affected by Hurricane Helene:

They’re known for their generosity and emergency response efforts, and this is certainly no different. Keep up the amazing word, Waffle House (or as I like to call it, Waffle Home). It’s needed, and greatly appreciated, right now.

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