In September 2024, Category 4 Hurricane Helene devastated the southeastern portion of the United States, with wind and flooding causing mass destruction. For western North Carolina, it’s been described as the most devastating natural disaster in history. In the aftermath, customers reached out to Garmin to share how they used their inReach® devices¹ when other forms of communication were cut off.
Stranded with No Service
“We own a Garmin inReach Mini 2. The story I want to tell is that our Garmin saved our lives and our neighbors’ lives when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina and destroyed every road to our homes. We were all stranded with no water, power, cell service or way out for 5 days. Thanks to our Garmin, we were able to let our families know that we were all safe. We were able to reach our neighbor’s son, who is a firefighter, and once he had service to see it, he was able to send his crew to rescue us. Some hiked out on foot while others got out by helicopter. Our neighbors — some old, some with pets, some with medication needs — were able to get the help they needed. It was an incredible sense of security the Garmin gave us all during this scary time.”
Liza Cottrell
Communication for the Neighborhood
“On Sept. 27, 2024, large portions of western North Carolina were cut off from communicating with the outside world by Hurricane Helene. Power was out, and what was worse, cell and internet communications were gone. Fortunately, no one in our local community was harmed, and our houses were intact.
With communications down, it was not until the next day that we started to hear about the catastrophic damage to the region. With that came the realization that folks around the country were starting to hear about it too, but they would not be able to reach their loved ones here to check on them because of the lack of any cellular communication. Parents, friends and loved ones everywhere would be worrying about folks here.
I might never have thought of my Garmin, but my motorcycling buddy out west had just used hers to initiate an SOS and a backcountry rescue by helicopter when she crashed in Utah on Sept. 17. She knew I was following her progress via the Garmin Explore™ app, so she reached out to me via her inReach to let me know what was happening.
Thus, on the day after the storm, Sept. 28, I realized that I had the equipment to allow people to reach out to family and loved ones outside of this area to let them know they were OK. I worked my way around the neighborhood, with my inReach and the Earthmate® app open on my phone, to let everyone contact people all over the country — letting them know they were safe and sound. The gratitude from people being able to communicate — and from people writing back, relieved to hear from their loved one — was overwhelming.
As our neighborhood gathered that evening to share our needs and resources while we were cut off from the world, I was able to read messages back to individuals from the people on the outside. There were tears of relief. It is not a scene that will soon be forgotten.
Thank you for the ability to bring a bit of peace of mind to folks near and far during a natural disaster … and also for the rescue of my dear friend in the wilds of Utah.”
Sandy Fournies
Shut Off From the World
“Being an avid lone hiker in Asheville, North Carolina, I regularly send messages to my friends and family to let them know my whereabouts while hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains. This provides a huge level of comfort to all involved knowing my location.
When Hurricane Helene struck, and my house lost power, water, cell service and Wi-Fi, my neighbors and I were completely shut off from the outside world. Thankfully, I had my inReach Mini 2 and could message my family and friends to let them know I was OK.
Realizing that some of my neighbors had the same issues, we used my Mini 2 to send messages to their families to let them know that we were all fine.
It’s hard to describe the anxiety felt in the aftermath of a disaster by the inability to communicate with loved ones. It was a great relief to have a device and service that could ease people’s minds when regular communication systems failed.
It’s been a week since the hurricane struck. Roads are open, power is beginning to come back, and we have found a couple of areas in our neighborhood with pockets of cell service, but I’m still relying on my Mini 2 at my home for communication with family.”
Stephen Hackett
Cleanup Efforts
“One morning, my brother ran into my room, shaking me awake and saying trees were falling everywhere and the power was out! I quickly grabbed the clothes I keep for such occasions, put them on, and grabbed my go-bag, which included my inReach Mini device.
