It’s been seven weeks since flooding from Hurricane Helene uprooted many people in southwest Virginia. Jessica Cross is a school counselor at Holston High School in Damascus, one of the towns in Virginia hardest hit by the storm. After the flood, she and other teachers went door to door with supplies, to check on students.
“They do have that ability just kind of bounce right back. I mean, they’re resilient,” said Cross, who works at the school through Highlands Community Services.
The week schools were closed, teachers and students jumped into volunteer mode, cleaning out neighbors’ homes. None of the school buildings were damaged, so the schools became hubs for relief efforts.
Cross was surprised that schools were able to reopen ten days after the flood, and they put on homecoming events as planned a few weeks after Helene. But she thinks having a sense of normalcy, and something fun to celebrate, helped students.
People in Damascus, and in surrounding communities of Green Cove, Taylor’s Valley, and Konnarock, are still recovering. Some students permanently loss their homes (Cross said she believes they are staying with friends and family).
“But since school has been in, what I’ve kind of been looking for is maybe some dramatic reactions to small things,” Cross said. “And that has kind of increased. I don’t know if it is, but it could be, affected by the stress that the whole town went through there for a couple weeks.”
Now that the emergency stage is over, Cross said people’s adrenaline has worn out, and they’re facing a new stage of dealing with the trauma.
“Maybe some of those feelings come back a little bit, and adults too,” Cross said. “I mean I talked to a lot of teachers who were affected, and it’s just important to be there for them.”
Damascus’ high school football team, the Holston Cavaliers, has done well this season, making it to the playoffs. Cross said it's been nice to be able to celebrate their success, amidst the stress of rebuilding after the floods.
