The owner of a West Allis construction company is returning to North Carolina this weekend on a mission of mercy. It’s a hometown effort to help the area still trying to recover from Hurricane Helene. 12 News first met Dan Terrill at Brew City Builders a few weeks ago in West Allis before he headed to North Carolina with a load of donated clothing and supplies for those devastated by Hurricane Helene. He said Friday that it didn’t go exactly as planned. “There was no service, no cell phones or anything. And the roads that were on our map weren’t there anymore, so we got lost,” Terrill said. “It was dark. There were no lights, there were no road signs.” On a mountain road with only inches of clearance on the sides, he said he wasn’t sure what would happen next. It was then that he came to a camp of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, also there on a relief mission. “They said it was a miracle we made it there at night,” Terrill said. “We actually parked the truck and trailer on their helipad because it was the only place we could park, and they fed us. They were great. There was a missionary group there. I’m still choking. It was a amazing experience,” he said. So much so that he’ll do it again this weekend, accepting the final donations on Friday. He will be taking the same truck and trailer he had last time, while a neighboring business owner from JJ Enterprises is joining this time with an even bigger load. “The response from everybody was so great, and we got a lot of stuff, so we’re coming back,” Terrill said. This time, it’s to help victims prepare for the days ahead, knowing it will be a very long recovery from Helene “Winter coat, sweatshirt, sleeping bag, blanket, camping stove propane,” said Terrill, listing just a few of the items they are carrying in the area around Burnsville, North Carolina. It’s all donated by people here, touched by Terrill’s first trip. “Trying to show some good Wisconsin love, you know?” Terrill said. They expect to arrive on Sunday morning. Terrill said he learned his lesson about trying to navigate hills and mountains in the dark.
The owner of a West Allis construction company is returning to North Carolina this weekend on a mission of mercy. It’s a hometown effort to help the area still trying to recover from Hurricane Helene.
12 News first met Dan Terrill at Brew City Builders a few weeks ago in West Allis before he headed to North Carolina with a load of donated clothing and supplies for those devastated by Hurricane Helene. He said Friday that it didn’t go exactly as planned.
“There was no service, no cell phones or anything. And the roads that were on our map were no longer there, so we were lost,” Terrill said. “It was dark. There were no lights, there were no road signs.”
On a mountain road with only inches of clearance on the sides, he said he wasn’t sure what would happen next. It was then that he came to a camp of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, also there on a relief mission.
“They said it was a miracle we made it there at night,” Terrill said. “We actually parked the truck and trailer on their helipad because it was the only place we could park, and they fed us. They were great. There was a missionary group there. I’m still choking. It was a wonderful experience,” he said.
So much so that he’s doing it again this weekend, accepting final donations on Friday.
He’ll be taking the same truck and trailer he had last time, while a neighboring business owner from JJ Enterprises is joining him this time with an even bigger load.
“The response from everybody was so great, and we got so much stuff, so we’re coming back,” Terrill said.
This time, it’s to help the victims prepare for the days ahead, knowing it will be a very long recovery from Helena.
“Winter coats, sweatshirts, sleeping bags, blankets, propane camping stove,” Terrill said, listing just a few of the items they’re taking to the area around Burnsville, North Carolina.
It’s all donated by people here, touched by Terrill’s first trip.
“Trying to show some good Wisconsin love, you know?” Terrill said.
They expect to arrive on Sunday morning. Terrill said he has learned his lesson about trying to navigate hills and mountains in the dark.