BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Communities in North Carolina are still reeling from the disaster caused by Helene. Help has arrived from the government, community and an unlikely group dubbed the "Girl Gang."
Charity Honeycutt is a former track and field athlete for the Tennessee Volunteers. She and her friends immediately stepped up to head relief efforts in Mitchell and Yancey Counties.
"It's not going to be an easy process to actually, you know, get our community back to what it once was," Honeycutt said.
Honeycutt teamed up with her high school friends and formed the "Girl Gang." They've helped raise over $125,000 for the community and organized supply distributions and clean-up efforts.
"We got our boots on the ground. I started coordinating with local government officials," Honeycutt said. "We started pulling our resources there like warehouse space to create an actual distribution center."
While they recognize that getting their community back to what it once was won't be easy, Honeycutt hopes their small town won't be forgotten or abandoned in the process.
"I know this hometown is so resilient, but it doesn't mean they're not suffering," Honeycutt said. "It is our goal as Mountain Strong to tell the story of our communities and get you the aid and make sure that you're not forgotten."