Local broadcasters become lifeline for hard-hit North Carolina communities in wake of Helene’s wrath

By Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — One caller was trying to find her brother. Another was asking about evacuation routes. A third was wondering if another tropical storm was on the way. And many callers expressed the same sentiment: “I’m just so proud of my neighbors.”

All of the calls were broadcast live Sunday across western North Carolina on a patchwork of local radio stations as the region struggled to recover from Helene’s unrelenting floodwaters. The calls and emails to News Radio 570 WWNC, an AM station owned by iHeartMedia, reflected the still unfolding crisis as the waters recede.

A listener named Paul called into the switchboard on Sunday to ask if a nearby dam was failing. “People are freaking out right now,” Paul said, citing recent reports of concerns about the structural integrity of other dams. The radio hosts reassured Paul and the listening public that the dam rumors were “misinformation.”

As communications across the region remained severed for many, the voices on the radio became a lifeline for locals in dire need of reliable information; sharing updates on road closures; opening the phone lines to anyone with working wireless or landline phones; and reassuring listeners that help is on the way from government organizations and volunteer groups.

WWNC, the oldest station broadcasting in western North Carolina, and six other stations owned by iHeart came together to simulcast their coverage of the weather emergency, host Mark Starling told CNN during his marathon live broadcast. He signed off Sunday at 11 p.m. and started again Monday at 6 in the morning. “Please,” he said to listeners shortly after sunrise, “please take care of yourselves. If you need help, ask for it.” Then he repeated the station’s phone numbers again.

With some ground-based communications in tatters from the storm, Starling said the stations had resorted to using SpaceX’s satellite internet service Starlink to remain online. It’s “all we’ve got holding all seven stations on the air,” he said.

Starling and co-host Eddie Foxx, of 99.9 FM KISS Country, have been broadcasting from the company’s Asheville studio. On Sunday night the pair were joined by Ashley Wilson across the state in Charlotte.

Wilson, who recounted that she couldn’t get in touch with her father for two days after the storm hit on Friday, recalled working in New Orleans earlier in her career, where colleagues divided time into “before Katrina and after Katrina.” She said she suspects Helene will be the same dividing line for some North Carolina communities.

The loss of life has been “massive,” she said on the air, and “we know the numbers are going to go up.”

“It will now be known as pre- and post-Helene,” Foxx agreed.

“The landscape has changed,” in some cases literally, Starling said, as floodwaters and landslides disfigured some towns.

In the wake of the storm, WWNC and other local news outlets region produced indispensable service journalism as communities reeled from the disaster. Top stories on the Asheville Citizen-Times home page Sunday included “where to get gas, groceries, wifi, water” and “how to stay safe during boil water advisory.” Blue Ridge Public Radio provided live coverage on the radio and online, including lists of “who to contact” for help with missing persons and power outages.

During WWNC’s marathon live broadcast, listeners were urged to keep the faith and have patience, since the recovery effort will take weeks.

Foxx recited a popular saying from the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, commenting to listeners, “We’re all in this together and we’re all going to make it through this together.”

The hosts passed along information about where to find ice and bottled water, how to access cellular and WiFi connections, and when to expect power to be restored. Wilson told CNN, “We’ve had people calling all day long trying to locate other people.”

Starling said the radio network’s live coverage began on Thursday as Helene approached Florida’s Gulf Coast. “Our stations remained on the air throughout the entirety of the storm,” he told CNN. Starling said he had been taking naps at the station ever since and hadn’t been home yet. His wife and son evacuated to his brother’s house in Georgia for the time being.

“My wife and I reconnected live on the air this afternoon,” Starling said via email. “Today was the first time I had heard her voice when she called in to the show.”

A public service ethos was evident during Sunday night’s live segments. “We’re not going anywhere,” Starling said on air. “Until the last bit of debris has been cleaned up, until the last drop of water has dried, we’re here.”

The hosts even found some silver linings in the storm’s aftermath.

“I talked to every single one of my neighbors yesterday, face-to-face, for the first time maybe ever,” Foxx said.

When a caller named Mark described the same experience, stating on the air, “I didn’t even ask anybody who they voted for before I checked on them,” the co-hosts cracked up. “It doesn’t matter y’all,” Foxx said. “We’re all God’s children. We’re all neighbors.”

Starling laughed on air about looking forward to seeing his local Amazon delivery driver once again. Foxx fantasized about ordering an Apple Crisp Macchiato once Starbucks can reopen.

“On a lighter note,” Wilson asked as the night’s live coverage concluded, “how many babies do you think will be born nine months from now?” Foxx roared with laughter, “They better not name a single one of them Helene.”

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