© 2024 WFAE

Mailing Address:
WFAE 90.7
P.O. Box 896890
Charlotte, NC 28289-6890
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, 2024. Weakened to a tropical depression, the massive storm moved across the Carolinas dumping rain. The catastrophic flooding caused by Helene has devastated much of western South Carolina and North Carolina.

International students displaced by Helene find temporary home on a Charlotte campus

Students at Lees-McRae College in western North Carolina evacuated their campus after Helene hit, causing some international students to relocate to Charlotte.
Lees-McRae College
Students at Lees-McRae College in western North Carolina evacuated their campus after Hurricane Helene hit, causing some international students to relocate to Charlotte.

As power outages, lack of water, and cell service blackouts continue in the mountains, many people are making their way to family in other parts of the states. Some college students whose families are thousands of miles away found a safe place in Charlotte on another college campus.

It’s been a turbulent few days for Lorenzo Ferrer, 22. He’s a sophomore from Mexico City at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. He stayed in his dorm as Helene rolled through.

“The wind was flowing crazy, and the trees — we could hear them — and then we ended up actually being hit on our dormitory by a couple of trees,” Ferrer said. “Thankfully, my room was safe."

The campus had close to 650 students; all had left by the end of the weekend, with many going home. Ferrer and the other international members of the tennis team were in search of a place to go. So, one of his teammates reached out to a friend of the team who lives in Charlotte.

She assured them that if they could make it here, they’d have a place to stay. Ferrer and a few others ended up braving the roads and driving to Charlotte.

A group of Lees-McRae College students is safely at Queens University of Charlotte after evacuating their campus.
Lees-McRae College
A group of Lees-McRae College students is safely at Queens University of Charlotte after evacuating their campus.

The journey was filled with hazards.

“Trees all over the place, massive trees that you wouldn't expect to be floor, were down on the road. Some roads were blocked,” Ferrer said. “So you had to pass on the right or, as best as you could."

Another player on the women’s team was airlifted to Hickory with six other students and then got a lift to Charlotte. The students left with their pets, which included a cat, a couple of snakes, and a bird. The school’s president Herbert King was there to see the evacuation.

"That 'copter is carrying the last of our students, evacuating them to Hickory where we have staff and trustees waiting to take care of them. We're blessed," King said in a video posted on Facebook showing the evacuation.

Students encountered a collapsed road just outside Banner Elk in western North Carolina.
Lorenzo Ferrer
Students encountered a collapsed road just outside Banner Elk in western North Carolina.

As the international tennis players made their way to Charlotte, their friend, who happened to be the chair of Lees-McRae College's board of trustees and well-connected in Charlotte as the president of Bissell Management Services, was trying to find them a place to stay.

Barbara Kopczynski reached out to someone she has known for a long time: the Queens University athletic director who, with other staff, helped find a place for students to stay.

Students from Lees-McRae College were evacuated by the North Carolina National Guard and dropped off in Hickory to be picked up by their parents, while others transitioned to Charlotte.
Lees-McRae College
Students from Lees-McRae College were evacuated by the North Carolina National Guard and dropped off in Hickory to be picked up by their parents, while others transitioned to Charlotte.

“Within one hour of me sending a text is how fast Queens responded. ‘Yes, we have rooms. Yes, they can come.' And, I said, ‘Well, check with your president and CFO on what it is going to cost us, how are we going to work it, and are you sure?' And they said, ‘We'll, figure all that out; just come.’”

Thirteen students have called the Queens campus home over the last few days. While some have returned to their home countries, Queens plans to host at least 30 more student-athletes and their coaches from Lees-McRae College so they can continue competing.

Along with the tennis team, Queens will be the new base of Lees-McRae College’s women’s basketball and volleyball teams. They’re expected to move in over the weekend. María del Carmen Flores, Queen’s dean of students, said the university is ensuring Lees-McRae College students have the supplies and resources they’re used to.

“We loaded some meals on the cards, we put access to the parking decks on their cards, and we walked through the recreational center to look through the fitness area, indoor track, and some of those facilities,” Flores said.

Despite last week's events, the Lees-McRae College students said they’re eager to continue doing what they love.

Ezequiel Arce from Paraguay hit a ball with his teammates at a tennis court near Queen’s University’s campus in the Myers Park neighborhood a few days ago. Acre is hopeful that he can return to his campus soon and end his time in college, performing well on and off the court.

“I would love to have a great senior year and a good level of tennis. So, I would love to keep training and not let the hurricane stop our training,” Arce said.

Ezequiel Arce, a student at Lees-McRae College from Paraguay, hopes to return to campus to have a successful senior year both on and off the court.
Elvis Menayese
/
WFAE
Ezequiel Arce, a student at Lees-McRae College from Paraguay, hopes to return to campus to have a successful senior year both on and off the court.

Arce said he’s grateful to have gone from an environment without power or water to one with the basic necessities.

“I pretty much have everything I need to keep going, and we're probably going to start our classes online soon,” Arce said. “So, I'm just trying to get back into a routine as well and not think about everything. I've been really stressed the past five days, but now I'm definitely more at peace.”

No decision has been made on when students can return to campus. The college plans to resume online classes on Monday, and student-athletes will continue to be able to play away games. Another 111 basketball, soccer, and cross-country players from Lees-McRae College are staying at Ferrum College in Virginia.

Sign up for EQUALibrium

Elvis Menayese is a Report for America corps member covering issues involving race and equity for WFAE. He previously was a member of the Queens University News Service. Major support for WFAE's Race & Equity Team comes from Novant Health.