Surviving Hurricane Helene
02.04.2025 - Kanuga Stories
Surviving Helene: A Story of Resilience
December 8, 2024
The early morning group text from property manager Glenn Griffith on Thursday, September 27 read, “Winds have arrived and we have lost power campus wide. There is a tree down between the conference center and Camp Bob but as of right now Kanuga Lake Road is clear to Kanuga Road. Staff who do not have to be here should stay at home. Lake water started using the emergency spillway at about 5 a.m. this morning. Everyone stay safe.” By 8 a.m., dam experts had been contacted and even through hard rain and unforgivable winds, property assessment had begun.
The next text from campus, roughly ten minutes later from hospitality manager Stephanie Watts, reported that, “Power went out at about 5:40. Generators are on and working. Breakfast is cooking. There are reports of some trees down around property and some roof leaks. Wind is blowing. It’s still raining.”
That morning, there were 50 guests staying in cottages and Kanuga Lake Inn, and 29 employees stranded on site. Members of food and beverage, rooms, grounds, maintenance, front desk, and managers were all present. “It was a scary time,” said Stephanie, “We knew it was going to be bad. I’ve lived in Henderson County my entire life. We’ve seen tropical storms and a couple of weak hurricanes come through, but nothing like this. The rain was torrential and wouldn’t let up.”
By 11 a.m., future lodging reservations were suspended, a communications plan was in motion, and groups for the coming weeks were contacted to reschedule. Just a few hours later, a revised operations plan was in place. There were guests anxious to leave the property, even though all roads and interstates were closed to traffic. Staff worked hard to present a calm demeanor, all the while trying to manage their own personal concerns. “It was disturbing not to be able to get hold of my family. I was so worried about them, and there was zero cell service or wifi. The wind was howling and it was raining sideways. It was an unsettling sense of uncertainty,” said Stacey Winkleman with the food and beverage department.
Meanwhile, by early afternoon most if not all staff living in nearby towns like Hendersonville and Asheville were completely cut off from all communication and experiencing their own anxieties and damages from the hurricane. “I finally left a note in a google doc…,” says Marketing Communications Director Jane Childress, “just hoping someone could see it. The message no one was able to see: In Asheville with no power, wi-fi, cell. Driveway blocked. Miriam and Bill have access to login credentials. There’s currently no way for me to send updates or receive information. If you see this in the Google docs, that means maybe we can communicate this way.” Crickets. No one could get online.
Glenn’s next text, about 5:30 p.m.: “Property update: email and wifi are down. Cell service is unreliable at best. Emergency spillway is no longer active but lake is incredibly full. Dam stable. Waterfront pavilion is bad. Doubtful it will be open for the rest of the season. Dozens of trees down. Property accessible if you can get to Kanuga Rd. Electrical for cottages 16-39 completely destroyed, both on our end and Duke Power’s.”
On Saturday, CEO Michael Sullivan was able to send this message: “Kanuga, along with this entire region, has extensive damage from flooding, trees, and winds. We will update as to particulars as we are able and as assessments are made. Everyone at Kanuga is safe. Buildings are the temporal things of this world, but the spirit of Kanuga is eternal. While we have a long road in front of us, it is that enduring spirit that will guide us. We will do our best to communicate, but it is very difficult at the moment. So for now please keep us and all the people in the pathway of Helene in your prayers.”
“I was struggling to understand how to lead from my home, with devastation surrounding my neighborhood, trees down everywhere including through my neighbors’ bedroom and kitchen roofs, our community entrance and driveways completely blocked. I could not get to Kanuga. It was a terrifying moment in time to feel so powerless,” Michael says.
On site, Kanuga’s remarkable team, with access to little/no infrastructure, had reconfigured operations, a feat of endurance and an exercise in resilience.
By Sunday, Kanuga Lake Road was in danger of failing, and in fact did give way on one curve. Very limited cell service was restored and calls were made to insurance companies, board members, and attorneys who would be essential for the return to business.
Throughout the first week of October, a wave (!) of support began pouring in from those interested in helping clean up and those making financial gifts. “Kanuga hasn’t seen this kind of support since the pandemic,” said Bill Norris, executive vice president for advancement. Nearly 500 donors gave to the storm recovery effort, in the amount of more than $450,000 total. “Kanuga’s donors help to weather, literally, any storm,” he said. Tremendous support also came from individuals and organizations.
Tom Rowland, president of Land Services Company out of Georgetown, South Carolina, who attends the Renewal retreat each summer and is on the master planning committee, brought a team to handle most of the major debris cleanup. What an incredible gift of grace! Kanuga received a Starlink system from Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers, which made it possible for communications to be restored much sooner than otherwise would have been possible. St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville was an early conduit of information and assistance, and some staff worked with them in the early days to provide supplies and food. These are only a few examples of how the Kanuga extended community came to the rescue.
Lake levels had returned to “normal” by the end of the day October 2. Within two weeks, with wifi, roads, and power stable, on October 15 Kanuga (miraculously) reopened to guests. “Those 18 days we were closed were some of the most historically lucrative for fall travelers and groups,” said general manager David Tyler, “A significant amount of revenue was lost.” Once Kanuga was open, leadership saw an immediate opportunity to put the mission to work by housing those in need, including both unhoused individuals and disaster relief groups. Chief of staff Carrie Privette managed that program, saying, “By offering lodging at cost, we were able to help many who needed Kanuga in a time of crisis.”
And now, the week of December 8, Kanuga continues to work for recovery. A group of over 40 leaders from throughout western North Carolina are gathering here for healing as well as discernment about how best to work together for recovery. By providing space for non-profits and agencies to meet over the course of three days, Kanuga continues to bless our region by providing a gathering place for this important work. And later this week, Kanuga will participate in the Henderson County Long Term Recovery planning meeting, offering our space for missional groups working to rebuild our region.
Kanuga is nothing if not resilient, surviving substantial challenges throughout its nearly 100 years—the devastating flood of 1916, the Great Depression, several wars, the COVID pandemic, and Hurricane Helene among them. How remarkable that we experienced a hurricane on September 27, re-opened October 15, held a lunch and learn session October 17, hosted a wedding October 19, offered a well-attended healing concert for the community October 27, and brought nearly 400 guests together for the Thanksgiving Feast!
How is this possible?! Looking at the photos of the hurricane’s wrath, this recovery timeline is almost inconceivable. It’s a mysterious question with a clear answer: people love this holy place and will do everything in their power to sustain it: work their hands to the bone, put in all kinds of hours off the clock, write checks like there’s no tomorrow, and pray until the tears stream. It’s a heart-and-soul kind of place. The kind we can’t do without. The key to Kanuga’s resilience lies within its people and their yearning for each other, nature, and the Creator. The spirit of Kanuga is indeed eternal.
Thanks be to God!