Interview with Stephanie Laughlin
Dublin Core
Title
Interview with Stephanie Laughlin
Description
Stephanie Laughlin was interviewed by Fiora Mecale on January 3, 2025 while driving from Asheville to Cattail Creek Community in Yancey County, NC. Stephanie’s two children, Henry and Essie, are also present, as well as Bob Walters.
Interviewer Fiora shares her Helene experience [00:05:01] and Stephanie describes the trip she took to her parents and their communication after the storm [00:24:17]. Essie shares a story about the dangerous driving conditions [00:40:50]. Throughout the drive, Stephanie describes how roads, buildings, and creeks looked in the immediate aftermath of Helene.
In a second recording, on the return car ride, the group reflects on their first time seeing the damage in Pensacola post-Helene [00:05:58] and stories they heard from local relief workers [00:09:03]
This interview was conducted by Fiora Mecale as part of the oral history project Finding Hope: Southern Resilience in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Narrator photo taken by Fiora Mecale, January 3, 2025.
Interviewer Fiora shares her Helene experience [00:05:01] and Stephanie describes the trip she took to her parents and their communication after the storm [00:24:17]. Essie shares a story about the dangerous driving conditions [00:40:50]. Throughout the drive, Stephanie describes how roads, buildings, and creeks looked in the immediate aftermath of Helene.
In a second recording, on the return car ride, the group reflects on their first time seeing the damage in Pensacola post-Helene [00:05:58] and stories they heard from local relief workers [00:09:03]
This interview was conducted by Fiora Mecale as part of the oral history project Finding Hope: Southern Resilience in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Narrator photo taken by Fiora Mecale, January 3, 2025.
Creator
Date
Format
Language
English
Extent
2 digital audio recordings (01:15:15; 00:29:52); 1 transcript (61 pages); 1 digital photograph
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Duration
01:45:07
Transcription
Transcript generated with Adobe Premiere Pro speech-to-text. It has been reviewed, summarized, and lightly edited for readability by Buncombe County Special Collections intern Jonah Turner and library staff member Carissa Pfeiffer.
Interviewer
Fiora Mecale
Interviewee
Stephanie Laughlin
Collection
Tags
Citation
Fiora Mecale, “Interview with Stephanie Laughlin,” Come Hell or High Water Community Memory Project, accessed June 15, 2026, https://helenehistory.omeka.net/items/show/1395.