On 27 September 2024, Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina with devastating force. The 800-mile-wide storm flooded entire towns, swept away roads, and left communities without power or communication. In Western North Carolina, entire regions lost connectivity - some for days, others for weeks.
In moments like these, reliable communication becomes more than convenience. It becomes critical. For many, the inability to call for help turned an environmental disaster into a humanitarian emergency.
It was a scene that Burnsville survivor Sherry Housley would describe as a dream – surreal, almost unreal. And it wasn’t long before we'd hear about it.
Answering the Call: Connecting the Disconnected
One of our ambassadors, Oceanic Goon, grew up near Asheville. He sent us a message: people need help. The network is gone. They’re cut off.
We didn’t hesitate.
Our engineers in Reno dropped what they were doing and started mapping locations. We assembled equipment, coordinated with local contacts, and began the journey cross-country. Emmanuel, Bridgette, Christian, and others from our team stepped up with the kind of urgency that disasters demand. Every decision mattered.
Then came the call that supercharged our mission. Long-time supporter Charles Hoskinson provided his Black Hawk helicopter, Black Betty, and a skilled crew. That changed everything.
We packed four Portal units, loaded Starlink backhaul, and flew into Asheville.
The World Mobile team touched down in Asheville before travelling to the Swannanoa Forward Operating Base - ground zero for the relief effort.
From Swannanoa to Yancey County, the ground told its story -washed-out bridges, flooded homes, roads buried under mud. The smell of diesel and silt hung in the air.
Bringing Connection to Where It Was Needed Most
We set up base at Swannanoa and linked up with Starlink’s disaster relief crew. Their backhaul became our foundation. From there, we brought connectivity back online. Portal units were activated. Phones pinged back to life. People could call, message, organize. For the first time in days, they weren’t alone.
Then we took off again.
The Mission Goes Airborne
The next phase took us into the skies. The team launched from Lincoln County Airport with AirNodes, Starlinks and diesel generators aboard Black Betty. Our first destination: Yancey County, where the county sheriff was anxiously waiting for us at his residence.
He had spent days in a communications blackout - no contact with loved ones, no coordination with emergency services. He told us about lives delayed, time lost, efforts stalled.
We fixed that in 15 minutes.
And when his phone came alive, so did his mission. He could move faster. Respond better. Lead his community again.
Stories of Resilience and Power
The destruction in Burnsville was almost total. Neighborhoods vanished. Homes turned to rubble. That’s where we met Sherry Housley.
Her house was gone, but she stood on what was left of her foundation, piecing things together. She looked us in the eye and said, “We are strong people - stubborn and tough. So we’re dealing with this.”
We didn’t come to tell Burnsville what it had lost. We came to help it rebuild, one signal at a time.
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Location: Little Switzerland. Status: AirNode Installed
In the hills of Little Switzerland, a local hotel had become a forward operating base. Aid workers, locals, and volunteers were there - waiting. We installed a Portal unit on the roof and distributed eSIMs to residents.
They watched. Then they waited. And then, it happened.
Phones connected. Calls went through. Voices cracked with relief.
“It’s seamless,” beamed Julia Krupps, Operations Lead. “Anytime my feet have been on the ground, I’ve been able to make a phone call...it’s so easy.”
The tech worked. But the moment was more than technical. It was personal. It was collective. The mountain wasn’t silent anymore.
"It's seamless. Anytime my feet have been on the ground, I've been able to make a phone call…it's so easy." - Julia Krupps, Operations Lead
See It For Yourself: Connecting the Disconnected
Two months later, the mission lives on. We’ve captured it in a documentary that tells the full story - of courage, of connection, of a network built for people when they need it most.
Connecting the Disconnected is now live on our YouTube channel.
To launch the film, we went live with Mario Nawfal, the most-watched host on X Spaces. His livestream helped amplify these stories to the global stage - where they belong.
Together, We're Unstoppable
What happened in North Carolina proved that we’re not just building infrastructure. We’re building resilience. And when disaster hits, we don’t ask for permission. We show up. We switch on.
We connect the disconnected.
This is what it means to reclaim power.
Not in theory. In practice.
Join us. Rebuild with us. Reclaim it all.
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