About
In late September 2024, Tropical Storm Helene swept through Western North Carolina, surpassing the Great Flood of 1916 to become the region's most significant natural disaster. The impact of the storm extends beyond the damage to the land and infrastructure, leaving people across the region with immense losses that will shape our geography, communities, and collective memory for years to come.
As the saying goes, “come hell or high water,” the people of Western North Carolina have shown remarkable resilience and strength amid unprecedented destruction.
Come Hell or High Water is a community memory project dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories and digital records of those impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. We hope to create a pathway for community reflection, healing, and long-term development of community memory not afforded victims of past disasters.
Alongside crowdsourced materials, the project includes scientific and environmental data, media coverage, and historic photos of past weather events in the region.These resources offer a deeper understanding of Tropical Storm Helene’s impact, by enhancing individual experiences with data driven content and historical context.
In addition to the online contribution portal, we will be reaching out to specific communities to capture a wide range of personal experiences across WNC. As these collections expand, we will showcase them through story maps, timelines, and other engaging formats on our website.
This project is organized by Buncombe County Special Collections (BCSC), Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville, NC. It is made possible thanks to the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections, Buncombe County Public Libraries, the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, UNC Asheville, and countless community volunteers.
Learn more about Come Hell or High Water and other community-based archives projects on the BCSC website.
Join Us
This community-driven project is only possible thanks to the support of volunteers like you.
Get in touch or join the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections at an upcoming community volunteer meeting to learn how you can support this project. Project roles include oral history interviewers, community outreach liaisons, administrative assistants, and more.
1916 Flood by the Avery Street Power Station. Photo by James Melmont McCanless, F046-X
Project Team
Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections
Emily Cadmus, Project Coordinator
Alison Farley, Project Intern (Spring 2025)
Ann McCutchan, Oral History Co-Lead
Susan Kraft, Oral History Co-Lead
Bill Green, Oral History Interviewer & Photographer
Gretchen LeMaistre, Oral History Interviewer & Photographer
Kate Sepp, Oral History Interviewer
Suzanne Colwell, Oral History Interviewer
Buncombe County Special Collections
Katherine Cutshall, Collection Manager
Carissa Pfeiffer, Librarian
Kathy Hill, Librarian
Jenny Bowen, Library Assistant
Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County
Catherine Amos, Communication, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Swannanoa Valley Museum
K. LeAnne Johnson, Executive Director
Leigh Ogus, Assistant Director
University of North Carolina Asheville
Ashley Whittle, Head of Special Collections and University Archivist
