Hurricane Helene: Old Fort’s Strength

On September 27, 2024, the community surrounding one of Columbia’s highest-producing hardwood plywood mills fell directly in the path of Hurricane Helene, bringing devastating winds and record rainfalls to an area not used to such natural events. 

It was immediately evident that Old Fort and the whole of Western North Carolina had been hit exceptionally hard. However, cell service was limited, and power was cut off in the aftermath, making it nearly impossible for loved ones to reach each other and learn the scale of the devastation.

Columbia Forest Products’ number one priority is always the safety of its employees, a fact that guided the first week of work following the storm. Team members, specifically in HR, worked tirelessly to try to get into contact with all Old Fort’s employees to ensure they were accounted for. 

After a little over a week of worried calls and visits, we all at Columbia could breathe a sigh of relief when it was confirmed all employees were alive and unharmed.

Once everyone was accounted for, the priority became identifying the folks whose homes were damaged or destroyed and who needed supplies. Since Columbia prioritized helping in this situation rather than rushing to restart production, the Old Fort mill proudly became a distribution hub for supplies to the area. 

Donations poured in from other mills, the Columbia Foundation and our customers. We also want to give special thanks to God’s Pit Crew, who delivered five truckloads worth of supplies. Those supplies included crucial items such as:

• 32 pallets of water 
• 768 blessing buckets 
• Paper towels/paper plates 
• Other items, including canned food, cleaning supplies, etc. 
• GPC donors have provided campers for families of CFP employees to live in after hurricane Helene destroyed their homes.

As of today, Old Fort is back up and running, and the entire community has a path forward — thanks in no small part to the generosity of its neighbors. Although it may take months to years to fully recover, it is a testament to the strength of Western North Carolina that they’re coming back better than ever.

This aerial video naturally illustrates that the beauty of Western North Carolina cannot be dimmed by a storm.