The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has been a historically active one so far, with 11 hurricanes recorded — five of which measured over a Category Three, designated “major hurricanes” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Many Americans are likely familiar with two of this year’s strongest and most destructive hurricanes: Helene and Milton. The former made landfall on Florida’s northern Gulf coast on Sept. 26, and the latter followed two weeks later, hitting the Sunshine State on Oct. 9. No matter where major natural disasters strike, the geographically diverse makeup of Dartmouth’s student body often includes community members from places affected.
Carson Bates ’27 was born and raised in the Atlanta area, which faced much of Helene’s devastation along with portions of northern Florida, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service. Prior to Helene, Bates’s family had resided in a first-floor condominium in metropolitan Atlanta. After flooding from the storm led to long-term damage, though, his family was forced to move into an apartment several miles away. Bates explained that the condominium will remain under repairs for the foreseeable future.
“I was very shocked,” Bates said. “I guess I never really heard a clear report that there was going to be a lot of damage. I just kind of kept on hearing that it was going to run through Atlanta, and I didn’t have any way to … make sense of [what that meant].”
While there is no clear estimate on how long repairs will take, Bates said that “it’s going to be a long time before we ever move back in.”
Bates is not alone. Xander Barber ’27, now a resident of Portland, Maine, hails from Asheville in western North Carolina — a town that suffered what the NOAA described as “unprecedented aftermath” from Helene.
“I went to school right on the [French Broad River in Asheville], but luckily none of my friends were impacted,” Barber said. “It was pretty crazy seeing the pictures and videos of what happened to my school and especially all the businesses around there. One of my friends [kayaked] down the river after a bit, and it … was pretty devastating.”
Students from Florida, where both Helene and Milton made landfall, have previously dealt with disaster aftermaths. Ellie Appelgren ’28, who is from the Fort Myers area, said it was “bizarre” to experience the impact of Hurricane Ian, a storm that hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane in 2022, particularly because her father is a frontline healthcare worker.
“My dad … is a hospital administrator, so he was at work at a hospital during the storm, which obviously [during] a hurricane is a stressful time,” Appelgren said. “It was … even worse for him because he was trying to take care of other people while also thinking about my mom and I.”
Appelgren expressed gratitude that the Fort Myers community was mostly spared by this year’s storm season, especially since it is still recovering from Ian’s destruction.
“I think it’s very important to recognize that we have all experienced a lot of loss with natural disasters, and it's only going to get worse with climate change, unfortunately,” Appelgren said. “So I think it’s important to focus on the people who are really doing good for others.”
Though Barber no longer calls North Carolina home, he still viewed Asheville’s response to Helene as “inspiring.”
“There’s so many people that have been posting [fundraisers on social media],” Barber said. “It’s been a great community response, but … it’s just very surprising [to] the whole area because it wasn’t something any of us were expecting.”
In the wake of major disasters, students may feel the need to return home and support their friends and family. Barber said he remains uncertain as to whether he will be able to visit Asheville in the near future, as the community is “still rebuilding a lot of all the roads and infrastructure.”
Bates, however, decided to return home to Atlanta in early October in the wake of Helene. The work of a Dartmouth term, though, made it “hard” for Bates to spend any weekend off campus, especially traveling home to support his family, he explained.
“You kind of have to drop a lot of the things that you’re doing,” Bates said. “I feel I had to just take a weekend out of my time here at Dartmouth.”
For students who live far from home, constantly worrying about the safety of their loved ones and hometowns while juggling their own lives at college can be overwhelming. However, relying on the College community to be a strong support network, according to Appelgren, can help to “lessen the hurt” that students may feel.
“Obviously my friends were checking in on me … spending time with me and making sure that I knew that they were there for me, no matter what happened,” Appelgren said. “I felt very loved and very supported during that time, which definitely lessened the guilt I was feeling.”
