A group of more than five dozen Amish from Pennsylvania traveled to North Carolina to help with rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Helene.
Cleanup and recovery efforts are still underway three months after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Unprecedented rainfall, winds, and flooding displaced hundreds of families. Volunteers have been working to get those families in homes before winter weather causes further delays.
Recently, a group of more than 60 Amish traveled from Pennsylvania to Boone County, North Carolina, to serve those affected by the hurricane. According to the High Country Press (HCP), Andy Owens coordinated with the Amish to bring them to the area to build 12 sheds that would be used as tiny homes for victims.
How The Building Project Came About
Owens, who is no stranger to building projects due to his history with building base camps for Burning Man, was the point man for the group of Amish carpenters who traveled to North Carolina with their families and other volunteers. The group arrived on a Tuesday with five semi-trucks filled with everything they needed for the job.
The HCP reports that the group “brought and left behind 20 propane tanks, numerous tools, and five pallets of fire department supplies – hoses, axes, etc., which will be given first to Meat Camp Fire Department and distributed to others in the area.”
The Amish women and girls cooked and served food to the workers and handed out gifts, toys, and clothing items that they had brought along by the pallets full.
Less than 48 hours later, the Amish were on their way back to Pennsylvania and left 12 completed sheds, that had been donated by an Amish business, behind. The cost of the project was estimated to be $300,000 and was completely donated by the Amish community.
According to Spectrum News, the Amish were able to get the tiny homes 90% complete.
“They erected everything from the outside in, framed out the walls, framed out the roof, ran the electric,” Luc Henry, a local contractor, said.
Henry helped finish the homes and is helping get them to people who need them most. Henry shared that the Amish group plan to return to the area in coming weeks to build more tiny homes for those in need.