September 27, 2024, began like any other day, until Hurricane Helene swept into Western North Carolina. Fed by an earlier rainstorm, the hurricane unleashed staggering rainfall across the mountains, up to 31 inches in places like Yancey County, and triggered more than 2,000 landslides that devastated communities. Rivers crested at record levels; for instance, the French Broad River surged well beyond its previous high from 1916. The storm claimed at least 108 lives in North Carolina and left a trail of catastrophic damage, destroying or damaging hundreds of thousands of homes and infrastructure across the region.

Answering the Call

Founded in Western North Carolina, Southern Lighting Services has deep ties to the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The devastation wasn’t distant, it was personal. Within 24 hours, our team deployed to the area, navigating washed-out roads and damaged bridges that made access slow and difficult. On the ground, we worked to install generators and restore lighting for critical infrastructure like banks and gas stations, facilities people relied on most in the storm’s aftermath. Around us, emergency responders, workers from every trade, and volunteers faced the same harsh conditions, each doing their part to help communities begin the long road to recovery.

Lessons in Preparedness

The financial toll of Helene was staggering, with damages in North Carolina estimated at more than $53 billion. Even so, resilience shines through. People have returned to work, reopened their businesses, and leaned on each other to move forward. Institutions and citizens alike are rethinking preparedness, focusing on flood protection, emergency plans, and infrastructure choices designed to withstand future storms.

For our part, we know commercial lighting is an important piece of being storm-ready. Here are a few preparedness steps we recommend to our customers across the Carolinas:

• Review generator capacity.
• Keep exterior and security lighting maintained.
• Know which operations must stay running during an outage.
• Build relationships with trusted providers before you need them.

One Year Later

A year has passed, yet reminders of Helene are still everywhere in Western North Carolina. Some roads and bridges remain under repair, and major routes like I-40 won’t be fully restored for years. Communities are still rebuilding homes, restoring services, and working through the lasting scars of the storm.

And on this anniversary, we remember not just the devastation, but the determination and resilience that followed. Southern Lighting Services is proud to have supported our community during those difficult days and remains committed to serving businesses across the region, both in everyday projects and in moments that demand more.