# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DCPYoJSR4VH
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72589404-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b1cff20339.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-11-11T18:01:21.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

This is what Army veteran Darrel Coffey salvaged from his home after Hurricane Helene swept through North Carolina: Muddy clothes and shoes.

Darrel lives in a veterans' community in Swannanoa and moved to the area over a year and a half ago for a new job. He was at work the day floodwaters took over his neighborhood. 

“I went to work, and the police called me,” Darrel said. “Thirty minutes after I left, they said the whole area was evacuating. We lost everything — everybody around here did.” 

Darrel’s clothes were hanging in his bedroom closet. The muddy residue left in his home is an alarming reminder of how high the waters had risen.

“If I didn’t go to work Friday, I wouldn’t have a car because everybody else’s cars went down the stream,” Darrel said. 

After making his way to a local shelter supported by the Red Cross in Asheville, Darrel was grateful to find many of his veteran friends who lived in the same community. He’s been helping them get around and grab things from their homes since he was fortunate enough to still have his car. 

“Before all this happened, me and the veterans up there were like this,” said Darrel, linking his hands and fingers together. “They keep me alive; they keep me together. I hope I’m doing the same for them.”

Darrel and many of his veteran friends have since transitioned from the shelter to alternative housing located near the Veterans Administration (VA) office. While in the shelter, Red Cross volunteers worked closely with the VA to refill over 100 prescription requests from veterans who were struggling to access their medication. 

We're grateful to support veterans like Darrel whenever disasters strike and throughout the year when they need it most. 

#RedCross #DisasterResponse #DisasterRecovery #MiltaryVeteran #HurricaneHelene #Helene #NorthCarolina #VeteransHelpingVeterans #VeteransSupport

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 450
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

disasterresponse, helene, veteranssupport, disasterrecovery, miltaryveteran, redcross, veteranshelpingveterans, northcarolina, hurricanehelene

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