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On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern United States, leaving destruction in its wake. The Category 4 storm claimed more than 215 lives, making it one of the deadliest storms in the U.S. this century, and left more than 2 million people grappling with power outages and drinking water shortages.

North Carolina was hit the hardest, as the hurricane set the record for the worst flooding in the state’s history. Entire communities were uprooted, and critical infrastructure was destroyed, damages that are still impacting the people of western North Carolina today.

Mark Greene, a resident of western North Carolina, was severely impacted by Helene. His home lost power, which affected his wife, who needs electricity to power her oxygen tank.

“I’ve been through a lot of storms, and this is the worst one I’ve ever seen,” said Mark Greene, a resident of western North Carolina, in October 2024. “My wife is on oxygen 24/7…and we went through all of her reserve oxygen tanks …. She’s been in the hospital ever since.”

Water Mission, a Christian engineering nonprofit, rushed aid to western North Carolina. The disaster response team was on the ground the day after the storm hit, immediately seeking opportunities to partner with the local community to meet needs. The response started in Boone and then expanded to Asheville and its surrounding areas.

Thanks to support from the FedEx Cares Delivering for Good program, Water Mission shipped generators to North Carolina to begin distributing to people in need. Water Mission distributed 1,100 generators to individuals and families, serving more than 3,000 people, including Greene and his wife.

“I just really appreciate the fact that you guys are here to help,” Greene said. “This generator is going to help power my home so I can get my wife back home and comfortable.”

Along with helping people have restored power, Water Mission’s disaster response team brought safe drinking water to those for whom the safety of their well water had been compromised.

Over the course of the response, Water Mission distributed 124,000 emergency water purification packets and installed 19 safe water treatment systems at schools, churches, and community centers. The water systems provided more than 457,000 gallons of safe drinking water for people in need.

The safe water systems installed in three Asheville-area schools met the needs of 3,000 students, allowing them to return to school after weeks of being away.

“The entire Asheville City Schools community is beyond grateful to Water Mission for their support in helping us reopen schools after Helene devastated the city’s municipal water system,” said Maggie Fehrman, the superintendent of Asheville City Schools.

The collaboration with FedEx enabled Water Mission to bring generators and provide safe water for people across western North Carolina, serving more than 112,000 men, women, and children who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

This post was written by Gregg Dinino, Director of Public Relations at Water Mission. It was originally published on fedexcares.com in recognition of World Water Day, March 22, 2025. Photos provided by Water Mission.