Six members of the Patrick County Patriots were the first chainsaw crew to reach parts of Grayson County, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. Led by group president Sammy Hughes and Logistics Officer Don Messer, the team spent Thursday clearing roads in and around Troutdale to allow emergency vehicles and power crews to reach affected areas.
Initially, Hughes said the group was told that emergency management in Grayson County tried to limit the number of volunteers on the ground. However, after coordinating local officials and local contacts, the group was welcomed to help with road clearing efforts.
“We had a skeleton crew,” Hughes said. “Our mission was to clear roads for fire and emergency vehicles.” Despite working with a small team, they managed to clear vital routes from Troutdale to Elk Creek, where flood damage had made roads impassable for emergency and utility vehicles.
The crew saw linemen from several states working in the area. They recalled seeing crews “from Maine to Texas and Oklahoma.”
Local residents had already begun clearing paths with their own equipment, but much of the area still needed attention. By the time the Patriots arrived on Thursday, the area had been without outside assistance for four days.
The devastation left by the hurricane was immense, particularly in low-lying areas. Messer described seeing vehicles turned upside down, debris lodged in bridges, and uprooted trees scattered across the landscape. The crew worked long hours, cutting through fallen trees and clearing paths for emergency responders.
“Many of the roads were like the ones we see back home in Patrick County, narrow and winding through the mountains,” Messer said. “We had to navigate carefully, as most of the bridges on secondary roads were washed out.”
Despite the harsh conditions, the Patriots were able to make significant progress. Hughes credited their preparedness, noting the importance of safety gear and having a clear plan before heading into disaster zones. He also emphasized the need for coordination, and noted that unorganized volunteers could inadvertently hinder relief efforts.
The Patriots relied on donations from the local community to fund their equipment and safety gear, which Hughes said was crucial for their work. Local businesses, such as Woods Cold Storage, donated supplies, including fuel, oil and mix, to support the crew’s efforts. Howell’s Grocery donated ice and water for the crew.
Donations from the community and the group members’ efforts at various events, were used to help buy safety equipment, so “these guys could go into the situation safe, or as safe as we can make,” Hughes said.
“We took everything we needed with us,” Hughes said.
The team’s commitment to the mission was evident throughout the day, as they prioritized their task over documenting the destruction.
The crew left Stuart at 6 a.m. and returned at 5 p.m. On Saturday, they reflected on the magnitude of the disaster and the resilience of the local residents.
Because Messer wasn’t driving, he was in a position to make mental notes of some of the devastation. For instance, Messer recalled telephone poles along what he believes was Little Wilson Creek.
“The wires were holding up the top of the pole, and 3/4 of it was like somebody sawed it off. The water had hit it and completely undermined the telephone pole. It sheared off the top of it,” he said.
The two also said that while concrete bridges may appear intact at first glance, a closer look showed that areas between the road to the bridge were “completely washed out, anywhere from 10 to 20 feet. There’s no way they’re not damaged,” Messer said.
Railings also “had been stripped off the top of the bridge and you can see trees and there again there was something that was amazing to me was watching the trees or looking at the trees. The root part of this tree was half the size of this room, and they were laying on top of the bridges and laying up against the bridges,” he said.
Some homes were visible, “and you could see some houses … a few houses that survived, you could tell they were severely damaged,” he said. “But I didn’t notice that many houses on the bank of the river. I think the reason that you didn’t notice was they were all gone.”
“These farmers were out there with tractors worth thousands of dollars, clearing paths for their neighbors,” Hughes said, adding the area reminded him of local communities like Charity and Meadows of Dan. The residents reminded him “of our people. it reminded me of home—how people come together in times of crisis.”
(Photos by Debbie Hall)
Hughes noted that one man in Independence repeated, “’Patrick County. Patrick County. Patrick County,’, and then said, ‘I think in the late 70s we came to Patrick County on the flood.’” Hughes said he recalled the flood of 1979. “I was 10 years old when the flood of 79, but I can remember distinctly the magnitude of destruction. It was 45 years later,” when crews from Patrick County helped with flood damage in Grayson County. “Maybe we did a small part to pay back. We’re a few counties away, but we’re neighbors.”
As the first chainsaw crew to enter the area, the Patrick County Patriots provided critical support before FEMA arrived. While there, group members worked as hard as possible to complete their tasks. Even still, they also recognized the importance of continued relief efforts.
“We did what we could, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Hughes said. “These people are strong, but they need all the help they can get.
“Work with local agencies because these people have done their homework, and know what it’s like to get into a place. It’s unreal, and it shouldn’t be. I understand and I don’t understand that aspect of it,” Hughes said, noting reports of looting in several areas hit by the storm.
“We didn’t have a problem with the looting and stuff in that area that we were in, but I know that’s a problem elsewhere,” he said.
Those who want to help are advised to support efforts like Jonathan Large, of the Insurance Center of Patrick, who works with a church group. To donate to the Patrick County Patriots, a nonprofit civic group, mail checks to P.O. Box 45, Stuart, Va., 24171, or see any Patriot member. All donations over $100 are tax
deductible.
