Reunion story: How a youth sports plaque can represent lifetimes of memories

Reunion story: How a youth sports plaque can represent lifetimes of memories

Reunion story: How a youth sports plaque can represent lifetimes of memories

Bill and Liz Auman had owned their home on the French Broad River just upstream of Marshall for thirty-five years, and had lived there for the past twenty-five years. Their home had weathered storms and flooding — but never anything like the fury that Hurricane Helene unleashed on the region.

On the evening of Wednesday, September 25, Bill was alarmed at the information on the NOAA app — the French Broad River was due to crest at over 13 feet. The river had not risen that high since back-to-back hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2004. Concerned, Bill and Liz made arrangements with a neighbor to stay in their guesthouse for a night or two until the flood waters subsided. They each packed a small overnight bag and told their neighbor they would walk up the next afternoon. 

Bill Auman captured this photo (left) of his home on Thursday, September 26 before evacuating for the last time. On the right is what was left the next day. Photos courtesy of Bill Auman

On the early morning of Thursday, September 26 Bill awoke with a start. The river had risen much higher — and much more quickly — than predicted. Three feet of water was already covering their driveway, separating them from the main road and their escape route. Realizing that the time to evacuate was quickly evaporating, Liz grabbed her bag and Bill scooped up their dog Trouble. Battling the current, they waded out to the road. 

Looking back at the house, Bill realized things might be worse than previously thought. He asked Liz to take their dog to the neighbors. He wanted to go back inside the house and retrieve a few more things.

Liz insisted he not return to the house. It was just too dangerous! But Bill could not be deterred, and he began the careful transverse of the driveway once again. Walking past treasured items that took their family a lifetime to collect, Bill decided to focus on the important and immediate needs. He grabbed the checkbook, insurance and financial documents and their passports. What he left behind in that moment would later break his heart — his 35 year old Chinese Elm Bonsai tree, his Lebron James-signed basketball, his class ring and most importantly a ring that his wife of 43 years had given him when they were dating. 

Bill and Liz Auman were esctatic to be reunited with items found miles downstream from where their home once stood.

Wading once again across their driveway — the water now at his chest — he crossed the road and walked up the hill to his neighbors’ welcoming home. A glance at the NOAA app on his phone showed the crest was now predicted at 19 feet. Water would definitely be inside their home if that held true.

Early the morning of Friday, September 27 brought Hurricane Helene into the Western North Carolina mountains. After days of rain Helene dumped an additional 12 to 20 inches of rain on already saturated ground. Liz and Trouble walked down to check on their house. Water was not yet in the home and the Aumans began to feel hopeful. Maybe the worst was over. 

By 10:30 that same morning it was obvious that the worst was just beginning. From the road, Bill and his neighbor watched the river batter the sides of their home. Fully surrounded by the raging waters, the house stood firm in the strong currents. Reassured that the home was still intact, Bill and his neighbor decided to make their way back up the mountain to safety — but at that moment a loud crack was heard — CRACK! Then another — CRACK! The house began to move,  becoming completely unmoored as it began a horrifying journey down the French Broad River. Bill watched it disappear in utter disbelief. 

The French Broad River would later crest at 27 feet, more than double initial projections and three feet higher than the previous high-water mark during the flood of 1916. Bill, Liz and Trouble stayed with friends for the next few months living out of suitcases, all while navigating the intricate challenges of FEMA and flood insurance. Their home was gone and with it much of their riverside property. What was left — mainly just sand and rocks, as all the trees had washed away — would not be suitable for rebuilding.

Bill Auman shows off a photo of his son’s Little League team as he and his wife Liz sort through photos found by the MountainTrue River cleanup crew.

They had raised their two children in that home, filling it with several lifetimes of memories. Both kids had been active in sports throughout their school years, and both Bill and Liz had volunteered as coaches for their children’s teams — especially softball and baseball. Memorabilia from those precious years had lined the hallway of their home. Framed photos hung on the wall and photos filled photo albums year after year. Helene took all of it. 

Months later, during a MountainTrue river cleanup a few miles downstream of Marshall, I pulled a small wooden plaque from the French Broad River. The metal insert read: “Presented To: Liz Auman, Thanks For Your Dedication and Hard Work. East Asheville Youth League, 1997 Tigers”. It was placed in a box with other personal items that were recovered that day, including a slightly damaged vinyl album still in its sleeve, an army dress uniform jacket and a partial photo of a wide-eyed child. 

Back at the Mothership, the MountainTrue debris removal headquarters, I pulled the small plaque out of a box. A quick internet search revealed a GoFundMe page that had been set up for Bill and Liz Auman following Helene. I discovered that Bill is an attorney in Asheville and I also found an email address on his website. With fingers crossed I sent Bill an email explaining who I was and also why I was reaching out to him. I described the plaque and where it was found in the river. 

“Wow! That is only the third item found from our house, which was totally destroyed. We would love to have it back!” he exclaimed via email.

A couple of weeks later Bill, Liz and Trouble came to visit us at the Mothership in Weaverville. 

When Liz was handed her softball appreciation plaque she was visibly thrilled! All that had been found ten months after their family home had washed away was Bill’s NC State jacket and a photo from their son’s wedding. The plaque brought all the memories of Liz’s time as coach for her daughter’s youth softball league. She loved those memories, and this plaque gave her the opportunity to relive those special moments.

A mountain of memories from her coaching years came back to Liz Auman when she saw the plaque MountainTrue River cleanup crews found in the French Broad River after Hurricane Helene. Photo by Mandy Wallace

As Bill, Liz and Trouble recounted their lives to me, we looked through a bin of photos also collected in the Marshall area following Helene. Bill spotted another familiar photo of his son’s youth Little League team from 30 years ago! Bill had coached the team that year — his son’s first baseball team the East Asheville Orioles. 

Moments later, Liz pulled another photo from the stack, staring quietly. Bill looked over her shoulder.  “That’s your Grandmother! That’s a photo of your Grandmother!” he exclaimed. Liz just gazed in disbelief. 

How certain items survived and where they ended up is only something that Helene can answer. The softball plaque had hung in the hallway of their home and the photos were in separate photo albums stored in a cabinet in the bedroom. The plaque had floated through downtown Marshall, over two dams, nearly seven river miles downstream of their former home. The photos had each traveled close to five miles away and had landed in different locations. This brought the total number of found Auman family mementos total up to five. 

Bill and Liz are slowly putting the pieces back together following the storm. Liz has been a solid source of comfort and optimism. They are grateful to have each other and thankful for the 173 friends that have helped them through, according to their count. Thankful for the opportunity to reunite people with their precious memories, Bill and Liz will join us at  our celebration event MountainTrue: Stronger Than the Storm on October 2. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating little moments of hope and connection that these reunion stories signify. 

— Mandy Wallace, MountainTrue Artifact Recovery Technician

Stronger Than the Storm: Reflecting on a Year of Recovery After Hurricane Helene

Stronger Than the Storm: Reflecting on a Year of Recovery After Hurricane Helene

Stronger Than the Storm: Reflecting on a Year of Recovery After Hurricane Helene

Dear Friends,

One year ago, Hurricane Helene changed everything.

Across Western North Carolina, more than 100 lives were lost. Homes and businesses were destroyed. Entire communities were left without power, food, and running water for weeks.

In those first hours and days, people came together. Neighbors helped neighbors. And MountainTrue joined first responders, community groups, and churches to meet urgent needs. We organized supply deliveries. Carried medicines and essentials into areas cut off by the storm. Even fired up a mobile grilling operation to serve thousands of hot meals to families in the hardest-hit communities.

As days turned into weeks, people’s needs kept changing. So we stayed flexible. We tested wells, water, and soil for contamination. Partnered with Wine to Water to distribute water filters and well-testing kits. Sent chainsaw crews to clear roads and homes. And even helped set up a mobile laundry station in the Emma community.

But recovery isn’t just about today—it’s about tomorrow.

That’s why we launched the Appalachian Design Center to help communities like Swannanoa, Hot Springs, and Marshall rebuild stronger. We partnered with American Rivers and the Pew Charitable Trusts to secure $10 million from the state to remove hazardous dams damaged by the storm.

And we piloted an ambitious debris-cleanup program that put people back to work restoring our rivers—out-of-work guides, hospitality staff, and others hit hardest by the storm. With the help of volunteers, that program removed more than 3 million pounds of trash from local waterways.

Now, with support from the State of North Carolina, we’re expanding the program to provide more jobs and mobilize even more volunteers to clean up rivers, lakes, and streamfronts across Western North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary.

As we look back on this past year, we know the work isn’t over. Recovery means building a safer, healthier, and more resilient future for all of us.

And we want to mark this moment together.

On Thursday, October 2, please join us in Asheville for Stronger Than the Storm: A MountainTrue Gathering Honoring the Challenge, the Recovery, and the People Making It Happen. This will be a time to reflect, to honor the lives and communities forever changed, and to celebrate the resilience, generosity, and determination that make Western North Carolina strong.

Thank you for being MountainTrue. Together, we will protect the places we share.

With gratitude,
Bob Wagner, Executive Director
MountainTrue

Join Us for Stronger Than the Storm

Join us on October 2 for Stronger Than the Storm: A MountainTrue Gathering. Together we’ll reflect, honor our communities, and celebrate the resilience and generosity that make WNC strong.

Help Us Rebuild Better Than Ever

Discover how communities are rebuilding stronger and smarter in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene—visit appalachiandesign.org

Help Us Clean Up Our Rivers

Want to help restore our rivers? Visit cleanupwncrivers.com to volunteer, donate, or learn more about how you can make a difference today.

Support the Work of MountainTrue

Your gift powers clean rivers, resilient forests, and healthy communities. Donate to MountainTrue today and help us build a safer, stronger, and more resilient future together.

MountainTrue’s Mandy Wallace returns found items lost in the flood

MountainTrue’s Mandy Wallace returns found items lost in the flood

MountainTrue’s Mandy Wallace returns found items lost in the flood

At the end of a long day pulling storm debris from the Swannanoa River April 17, Mandy Wallace was looking at our river cleanup team’s haul for the day. Amidst the shingles, sheet metal and car parts were a few items more personal in nature.

Caitlin Wright was ecstatic when she heard that MountainTrue had found her family photo album in the Swannanoa River after Hurricane Helene.

A coffee mug adorned with a photo of a man standing with a woman who looked like country singer Reba McEntire. A couple youth sports trophies, one for a basketball player and another celebrating someone’s 1990 all star baseball season. A photo album completely encased in mud. It was the photo album, in particular, that Mandy, a mother of two, knew she had to return to its owner.

“Baby photos are precious. If this was mine, I know I’d do anything to get them back,” she reflected recently.

Incredibly, the photos, most of which were secured in plastic sleeves, were largely completely intact despite their river journey. Unfortunately, there were no names on the photos, so Mandy posted the album, mug and trophies on a Facebook page that was set up to connect residents with items that had been found after Hurricane Helene flooded the Asheville area in September 2024. Caitlin Wright saw the post and was able to reclaim her photo album, filled with precious memories of her children, now teenagers.

When looking at the other items that had been collected, Caitlin recognized the mug. It was her step-father who had his photo taken with Reba McEntire at a concert, which was later made into a mug. He was so proud of meeting the country legend that he drank coffee out of that mug every day for years, according to his son.

Coffee with Reba

The items had been stored in a building off Swannanoa River Road, less than a mile from where the MountainTrue River debris removal team found them, near the confluence of Sweeten Creek and the Swannanoa River.

The success of this reunion inspired Mandy to keep going. More personal items were found, kept and cleaned, and Mandy began researching each item to find their owners. To date, nine items have been returned to their owners out of the more than 70 personal effects that the teams have collected. A new Facebook page has been launched — MountainTrue – Found after the Flood, where photos of items will be catalogued and shared.

As MountainTrue’s River debris removal program expands — it currently encompasses more than 60 employees spread across five teams throughout the region — MountainTrue’s Artifact Recovery Technician (MART) Mandy Wallace will continue to collect items at Mandy’s Mart, working to track down their owners. Every Friday, MountainTrue will share the heartwarming stories of the Found Items program on Instagram @MtnTrue and Facebook @MountainTrue.

About Mandy

Mandy Wallace returns precious family heirlooms.

Mandy’s skills fit perfectly into her new role. Her background in archeology, degrees in both anthropology and art, decades of experience as both a teacher and a raft guide and role as a mother have coalesced to make her the ideal candidate to lead MountainTrue’s Found Items Program. 

After years as an archeological consultant and teacher, she returned to her first love guiding visitors on the Pigeon and French Broad rivers as a raft guide in 2020. After the storm, she was called to help clean up her local waterways, and joined MountainTrue’s debris cleanup crews in early 2025. 

Now, she is combining her passion for the river with her background in archeology to lead MountainTrue’s effort to recover, conserve, document and return artifacts to their owners following Helene’s devastation. For Mandy, it’s a family affair. She is joined by her husband Jim and son Clancy on the river debris cleanup team. If you lost something in the flood during Helene, Mandy might have seen it. Email her at founditems@mountaintrue.org.

MountainTrue reunites former Swannanoa resident with cup lost during Helene

MountainTrue reunites former Swannanoa resident with cup lost during Helene

MountainTrue reunites former Swannanoa resident with cup lost during Helene

Last August, Max Trumpower was excited to move to the Asheville area. One month before Hurricane Helene, the ceramic artist settled into an apartment overlooking what was then the gently flowing Swannanoa River east of Asheville. In late September, that all changed.

Max Trumpower displays their sipper cup

On the evening of September 26, with the water steadily rising, Max decided to leave their apartment for a friend’s house in a safer location. Two days later, Max’s entire apartment building, including all their belongings, was gone, swept away by the swollen Swannanoa. The same storm took the lives of two others in a neighboring building who did not leave their home soon enough. With little keeping Max in Asheville, they left the state with more room in their suitcase than when they arrived.

 

Ten months after Helene, with the help of volunteers from City Year, Truist and N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson, MountainTrue recovered several personal items along the banks of the Swannanoa River. Among them, a small handmade ceramic cup was found completely intact. It featured a cityscape design with intricate details, and an artist’s signature — Autumn McCay, a Cincinatti, Ohio-based ceramic artist. We reached out to Autumn and found that she created the small “sipper” cup for one friend in particular — Max. The cityscapes featured on Autumn’s ceramic pieces were reflections of the Louisville, Kentucky skyline where they both once lived. The cup detailed some of their favorite Louisville hangouts — an incredibly personal expression of their friendship.

Max Trumpower is reunited with ceramic cup

Now returned to Max, this special sipper cup represents one of only two items from their Asheville home. The other, a control panel from their personal kiln, was found lodged under a boulder in the riverbed nearby. Among Max’s extensive losses are irreplaceable large figurative ceramic sculptures that they created. We were thrilled to be able to return this special sipper cup to Max, one small step on the road to recovery! Good luck to Max! We can’t wait to see what you make next! 

 

Mandy Wallace, MountainTrue Artifact Recovery Technician

Debris cleanup update: How debris cleanup is progressing in Madison County

Debris cleanup update: How debris cleanup is progressing in Madison County

Debris cleanup update: How debris cleanup is progressing in Madison County

Many have seen heavy machinery in Madison County waterways and have expressed concerns about excessive woody debris removal and impacts to wildlife in the French Broad River. MountainTrue shares those concerns. We wanted to share an update for how this cleanup is going and how you can help ensure it goes smoothly. 

MountainTrue, funded by a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, is focused on removing small, hand-pickable trash from waterways that machines can’t reach. Our work focuses on extracting man-made debris from areas inaccessible to machinery and restoring stream banks to help prevent erosion. MountainTrue will not be removing woody debris.

Meanwhile, with funding from FEMA, Madison County has hired Southern Debris Removal (SDR) to conduct larger debris removal using heavy machinery from bank to bank on the French Broad River, up to the traditional high water mark (Not the Helene flood mark.) SDR’s work is overseen by the Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District, the local government agency responsible for directing their efforts.

MountainTrue is working closely with Madison County Soil & Water to protect the river from unnecessary disturbance and ensure that dangerous debris is removed. To ensure that this complicated process is done as safely and effectively as possible, we could use your help.

How You Can Help

As residents and members of the local boating community, you have more eyes on this process than anyone. We’re calling on you to help guide this operation toward the best possible outcome by witnessing, documenting and reporting what you see.

SDR, like all contractors paid with FEMA funding, is required to follow FEMA Waterway Debris Removal Guidelines.

What actions would violate those guidelines?

  • No timber matting under vehicles or machines entering/exiting waterways (these mats look like railroad ties embedded in the bank)
  • Spilled petroleum or hazardous substances
  • Excavation (digging) of soil or woody debris instead of pulling
  • Removal of live trees leaning less than 30%
  • Removal of root balls with less than 50% exposed
  • Clumps of soil still attached to tree roots
  • Removal of downed trees that were there before the storm
  • Use of vehicles or machinery in wetlands

SDR is contracted to work countywide and may enter any navigable waterway. However, they are not allowed to remove pre-storm debris. On creeks that didn’t flood (like Big Pine Creek), there should be little to no debris removal. If you see them working on our little creeks, it’s worth documenting. MountainTrue is funded to carefully remove debris from smaller tributaries impacted by Helene.

If you see anything that violates these guidelines, including actions that create unnecessary environmental or safety hazards, you can submit this form: Madison County Debris Removal Concerns.

When submitting, include as much of the following as you can:

  • Date, time, and location of the incident
  • Close-up photos or videos showing the issue
  • Zoomed-out photos or videos that give context to the location
  • If safe to obtain, a photo of the machine’s ID sticker (usually located on the side) can also be helpful, but it’s not required

What happens next?

MountainTrue staff will review your submissions and pass them along to the Madison County Soil and Water Department if we feel that there is strong evidence that SDR is in violation of the guidelines. 

To be clear, this is a complicated and necessary process. We are not seeking confrontation with machine operators, just accountability. Please keep in mind that debris removal employees are doing tough work in challenging conditions. How we engage matters and how we approach them may shape how they care for our community in return. 

Let us know what you see. With your help, we can advocate for this cleanup to be done right and protect our rivers. For more information on Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District’s work with SDR, see its post here.

Additional information about the debris removal process in Madison County

SDR’s work will occur in two phases.

Phase 1: Waterway Debris Removal (WDR)

  • During this stage, SDR may operate in the river channel (bank to bank) and remove debris up to the traditional high‑water line (not the Helene flood mark). Think of it like they are working on a highway right-of-way.
  • No landowner permission is required to remove debris up to the traditional high‑water line from within the river.
  • Machines may not operate above the high-water line unless the owner has signed a Right of Entry (ROE) during this phase.

If you see machines driving up the banks, tire tracks left above the traditional high water line, or debris that has been removed above the high water line during this stage, those are all causes for suspicion – please take a video and report it via the above form. 

Phase 2: Personal Property Debris Removal (PPDR)

  • Begins after the WDR phase is completed for a given river section.
  • Some areas (like Sections 7 and 10) may enter this phase before others (like Sections 8 and 9)
  • Property owners must sign up for this phase to have debris removed above the traditional high‑water line, otherwise SDR is not allowed to enter the property.

Can I still access the river?

  • All public access points and river parks will remain open throughout SDR’s stay in Madison County.
  • You are absolutely within your rights to be present at river parks, observe work, and take videos.
  • SDR cannot ask you to leave public access points or parks.
Big News: MountainTrue Launches Major River Cleanup Effort Across WNC

Big News: MountainTrue Launches Major River Cleanup Effort Across WNC

Big News: MountainTrue Launches Major River Cleanup Effort Across WNC

Dear MountainTrue Members & Friends,

We’re thrilled to share a major milestone in our region’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.

MountainTrue is partnering with the State of North Carolina to launch one of the largest river cleanup efforts Western North Carolina has ever seen. Backed by $10 million in state funding through the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), this program will put people back to work, restore our rivers, and bring our communities together.

This is more than a cleanup—it’s a recovery effort grounded in our core values: clean water, healthy ecosystems, and resilient communities.

About the Program

After Helene, federal aid helped address major rivers and large debris, but smaller streams and tributaries were left behind — still clogged with trash, broken infrastructure, and storm debris. That’s where we come in.

Over the next year and a half, MountainTrue will:

  • Deploy paid cleanup crews across Western North Carolina
  • Remove debris from rivers and streams across our region
  • Continue to grow our network of volunteers
  • Work directly with landowners to access and restore hard-to-reach areas

In our pilot phase alone, our staff and volunteers have already removed nearly 3 million pounds of debris. This new program lets us scale that success across 26 counties and the Qualla Boundary.

How You Can Get Involved

Why This Matters

  • It’s creating jobs for people displaced by the storm.
  • It’s protecting water quality and public safety.
  • It’s helping revive WNC’s outdoor recreation and tourism economy.
  • And it shows what’s possible when communities come together.

This is a proud moment for MountainTrue—and a powerful example of what we can achieve with your support. In the weeks ahead, we’ll share more ways you can help spread the word, volunteer, and celebrate the impact we’re making together.

Thank you for being part of this important work. You make all of this possible.

With gratitude,

Bob Wagner, MountainTrue Executive Director