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Jessica Bowling’s National Guard duties took her to western North Carolina to help with Helene recovery in October.

Head shot of Jessica Bowling in her National Guard uniform
Assigned to Haywood County following Hurricane Helene, Bowling helped receive and sort donations and carried out post-event canvassing operations in neighborhoods throughout the county. (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly/North Carolina National Guard)

 

As Hurricane Helene began devastating western North Carolina, UNC-Chapel Hill senior Jessica Bowling closely monitored the group chat she’s in with other National Guard members.

“OK guys, be ready for it,” someone messaged, referring to the possibility of being mobilized.

Bowling has been ready. After beginning at Carolina as a first-year in 2020, she took a year and half off from school and enrolled in the National Guard.

“I like the idea of serving my state,” she says. “Especially for disaster relief. That’s the main job of the guard.”

Now in her final semester of college, Bowling once again put her Carolina studies on pause as she spent the month of October in the mountains with the guard to help with Helene relief.

Bowling’s assignment took her to Haywood County, west of Asheville and near the Tennessee border. Her first week mostly consisted of working in a warehouse, helping receive and sort the massive number of donations that poured in from across the country.

“We had people come in from Michigan, which is crazy,” she says.

Bowling and her fellow guard members then transitioned to assisting with what the National Guard calls post-event canvassing operations.

They spent most of their days walking around neighborhoods in the towns of Waynesville and Maggie Valley and checking on folks: Is your power back on? Do you have food and water? Do you need help with transportation?

“Waynesville is very split because everybody that was higher up on the mountain was fine,” she says, “and then everybody in the valleys got pretty washed out.”

Part of Bowling’s canvassing work involved connecting and supplying people with Federal Emergency Management Agency and county resources. One surprising difficulty she encountered? Convincing residents to use them.

“A lot of them were very content with what they had and very grateful,” she says. “It could be hard to push on like, ‘Hey, we have a bunch of supplies. Please take some. It’s free.’ I think the culture in that area is very self-sufficient.”

 

Two-photo collage of Jessica Bowling and a fellow member of the National Guard talking with Haywood County residents on their front porches following Hurricane Helene.
“When we identified needs, (residents) were more than happy to talk with us,” Bowling says. “I think there’s a lot of gratitude in that area for what they have.” (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly/North Carolina National Guard)

Coming back to school

Bowling, an exercise and sport science major, returned to classes Nov. 4. She had her phone and iPad with her in the mountains, so she was able to complete some assignments and exams.

“My professors are really understanding, so that helped a lot,” she says. “It’s been a good transition because of my professors. It could have been a lot harder.”

Bowling says she’s usually reserved in class. Ironically, her month absence has helped her connect with her professors since returning.

“They kind of got this random email like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be in class.’ Now I’m communicating better with my professors in person,” she says.

With Winter Commencement right around the corner, Bowling is considering post-graduation plans. Full-time work with the National Guard is an option. A middle school track and field coach at A.L. Stanback in Hillsborough, she’s also interested in teaching.

Both choices involve public service, of which Bowling has ample experience.

“I was glad we had a good mission, and we stayed pretty busy,” she says. “It’s hard to take a month off school, and then you show up somewhere and you’re not doing anything. I’m really glad I was useful.”

By Brennan Doherty, University Communications

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