Canton honors radio stations for service during Hurricane Helene
As in 2021, the Town of Canton suffered extensive damage from deadly flooding on Sept. 27.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
In recognition of the exceptional public service provided by a trio of radio stations during Hurricane Helene — when nearly all other communication infrastructure had failed — the Town of Canton has named them grand marshals for the annual downtown Christmas parade.
“When we lost cell communication across Western North Carolina, it was our local radio stations on FM and AM that carried us through. There's no doubt that lives were saved and hope was provided by these stations,” said Zeb Smathers, Canton’s mayor. “One of the highest honors we can give in the town of Canton is grand marshal, especially for our Christmas parade. Honoring these local radio stations is a great way not only to celebrate the season, but also to say thank you.”
Shortly after the full brunt of Helene pounded the region early on Sept. 27, widespread power failures, internet outages and cellular service disruptions made even basic communication nearly impossible for most.
The outages not only stymied emergency responders’ attempts to communicate with citizens and with each other during life-threatening conditions but also presented challenges for most news outlets, including The Smoky Mountain News, to update websites or social media with useful information for people who wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
Heroic efforts by Haywood County workers to clear fallen trees on the road leading to Chambers Mountain, where Canton-based WPTL's FM translator is located, allowed restoration of power and put Canton’s longtime favorite radio station, owned by Terryll Evans, back on the air to share critical information about Haywood County. The station was founded in 1963 and purchased by Evans’ father Bill Reck in 1978.
In Asheville, two iHeartMedia stations, 99.9 FM Kiss Country and 570 AM WWNC, were able to continue broadcasting throughout the storm, but the hosts did more than talk. They listened.
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Taking calls live on-air long outside their established time slots, Eddie and Amanda Foxx, along with Tank Spencer and Mark Starling, collected contact information from callers who needed help and connected those callers with other callers who wanted to deliver supplies, clear debris or conduct wellness checks.
The Foxxes, along with Spencer and Starling, garnered national attention from network television programs and from personalities like Dr. Phil.
Spencer and Starling were initially trapped at the station for days.
Starling spent 14 days there, experiencing both triumph and tragedy. He eventually reunited with his wife live on-air, but also took a call from a man who described substantial flooding in his home and later lost his life as he was swept away. The man's wife and their seven year-old grandson met the same fate.
"That was a hard one. It's still a hard one," Starling told CBS Evening News reporter Skyler Henry Oct. 10. "I can hear his phone call in my head."
Many people who weathered the storm in Haywood County acknowledged that they’d used old battery-powered radios in their homes or even sat in their cars to catch news updates from the stations.
“This was an appropriate honor for many reasons,” said Alderwoman Kristina Proctor, who said she'd been listening to the radio during Helene. “They provided a lot of hope and connection in moments where we had no idea how everybody was doing or what was happening in the world around us. I am so happy and so thankful to have traditional media accessible during that time. It just shows us over and over how valuable it is, especially in times of crisis.”
Despite ongoing debris removal, Canton’s Christmas parade, a cherished annual tradition, will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5.
