Beloved NC teacher among two dozen missing educators in wake of Hurricane Helene

The search continues for a North Carolina middle school teacher after her home was swept away by flood waters in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Kim Ashby, a math teacher at SanLee Middle School in Sanford, had traveled with her husband, Rod, to their vacation home in Elk Park to retrieve personal items ahead of the storm. As reported by USA Today, on September 27 the couple’s home was swept away by flood waters with them inside.

According to local news sources, Kim’s children said they had heard from their mother on September 26 when she notified them that she and her husband had arrived at their vacation home and that the flooding was not near their property. That was the last time they heard from the couple, and were later told that the Ashby’s home had been seen floating down the river. 

While the couple stayed together as long as they could, the home eventually hit an embankment in the river and they were separated. Rod Ashby later managed to escape from the debris of their home, but Kim Ashby has not been seen, leading to concern and prayers for her safety. 

Kim’s daughter Jessica Meidinger told USA Today the community of Sanford, SanLee Middle School, and the community of Elk Park have all reached out to the family in support. “They’ve been reaching out regularly and said that they’re very much a family at that school and [Kim] is kind of like the heart of the 7th grade,” Meidinger said. “They’ve been doing prayer circles.” 

Additionally, residents of Elk Park and Avery County have offered help to the family. “It’s just been surreal,” Meidinger told the paper. “I mean, just the level of giving that we’ve received.” 

She added that her mother would be most concerned that her husband is okay. “That’s something that she’d be most worried about.” 

Western North Carolina was hit particularly hard by the effects of Hurricane Helene, with major flooding devastating many communities. Thus far more than 200 people have died as a result, with scores more unaccounted for. 

As reported by Fox News, Mistie Cogbill, a teacher and lifelong resident of Black Mountain, near Asheville, has been speaking up about the state of her community and of the need for assistance. 

“We’ve seen our friends and neighbors lose their homes,” Cogbill said. “We’ve seen classrooms of children who no longer have their homes.” 

Cogbill said that many local school teachers are among those unaccounted for. “We have 23 teachers out of our list that we haven’t been able to find,” she said. “I’ve been a teacher in Black Mountain for 25 years. I’ve been a resident there for 48, and we’ve never experienced anything like this.” 

She added that local schools, which are an important connection point for the community, have been severely impacted. “School is out indefinitely, and that was where many of our families received food, services … it was their community. When we’re talking about little children who have only experienced the pandemic and then had one month of normalcy to their lives and then now this, it’s just devastating.” 

Cogbill concluded her comments with a plea for help for her community. “We don’t want to be forgotten,” she told Fox News. “Our communities all hold hands with each other. Black Mountain and Swannanoa’s children go to school together. We’re not separate. We need things like baby formula, baby food, pet supplies. We need outreach.”