School districts impacted by back-to-back storms Helene and Milton recall devastation, calls to action even as they continue recovery months later
Written By Carol Brzozowski T
he devastation wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton tested the prepared- ness, adaptability and resourcefulness of school transportation departments across several states, underscoring the necessity for nimble and resilient ap- proaches in school transportation, especially in regions prone to natural disasters.
North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, and Indiana reported varying levels of impact. Jeremy Stowe, director of transportation for North Carolina’s Buncombe County Schools, be-
gan preparations as Hurricane Helene loomed in late September. The school district serves 22,500 students, including some who live in Asheville, which was the hardest hit by the storm, with 10,000 relying on bus transportation. The district’s 210 buses collectively cover 15,000 miles daily. On Sept. 26, he said he assessed the department’s parking lots and facilities, identifying areas
vulnerable to flooding. Although heavy rains had already swollen local rivers and streams, Stowe determined the buses were safe in their assigned locations. With school canceled the following day, Stowe coordinated with the county’s emergency man- agement agency. The night before the hurricane struck, emergency officials requested four buses be placed on standby for potential evacuations. Two were deployed to relocate residents from a mobile home park to a West Asheville shelter. Stowe and his staff remained on call until 1 a.m. By 4:30 a.m., the head fire marshal called, his
voice reflecting the urgency of rising floodwaters. At his request, four school buses were dispatched to the Swannanoa Fire Department, where residents were evacuated to the WNC Agricultural Cen- ter located next to the Asheville Regional Airport. “Myself and three others went to Black Mountain. We carried one bus out of Black Mountain to the WNC Agrcultural Center. The other buses stayed on site until about 1 p.m., in case additional support was needed,” said Stowe. Flooding wreaked havoc across the region. Communication lines failed due to power outages. “The whole world was breaking down around here,” Stowe recalled. When the fire marshal needed school buses, but drivers were unreachable by phone, Stowe hand-
ed over the keys, trusting emergency personnel to help manage evacuations. Fuel logistics became a pressing issue. Buncombe County Schools had a mutual aid agreement
with emergency management to supply fuel during crises, but fallen trees blocked roads. Tree crews were dispatched to clear paths. With his own home spared from damage, Stowe said he enlisted his son, a college student and school bus driver, to operate a fuel truck. They filled it at an area fire department. “I went to the east. My son went south,” Stowe recounted. “In Swannanoa, the devastation was
surreal. People [were] covered in mud, walking to fire departments because they had nowhere else to go, no communication, no one to get a hold of.”
40 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2025
A worker cuts up a tree that impaled itself on a fire hydrant during Hurricane Helene, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Asheville, N.C.
(AP PHOTO/JEFF AMY)
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