ROAN MOUNTAIN — Carter County was hit hard on Friday by the remnants of Hurricane Helena and from the very start of the storm, neighbors began helping neighbors. As it became apparent that what was happening in Carter County was just one piece of a much large disaster, the volunteer spirit took over. All over the county, people started donating bottled water, non perishable food, cleaning supplies and other emergency needs to makeshift distribution points that just popped up because of their convenient access.
Some of these unplanned distribution centers were the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Center, which quickly became the main distribution center for Elizabethton. Others were established at community schools, especially Happy Valley High School, Hampton Elementary School and the recently closed Little Milligan School. In Roan Mountain, there was an emergency shelter and distribution center established at Cloudland High School, but there was no electricity at that location and it would be supplanted by First Baptist Church of Roan Mountain.
That church became the nerve center of the early recovery operations for Roan Mountain. Pastor Geren Street and his wife Carley Street were quick to see the need and to involve the church into first providing a place of shelter and then a place of help and comfort. Helene came to Carter County early on Friday, but by 8 p.
m., First Baptist of Roan Mountain was preparing the church as a shelter and accepting the first donations of su.