EDINA, Minnesota — Sitting at her mom's kitchen table in Edina, Lynne Russo realized it was Tuesday.
"It's only Tuesday? It just feels like one long day since this hurricane," Russo said.
While Russo has lived in Minnesota on and off since she was a teenager, she moved to western North Carolina about a year ago.
Russo's condo sits at the top of a mountain in Hendersonville — about a 30-minute drive from Asheville.
"Everybody did their best. I mean, they said... don't go out. Make sure you bring your chairs in from outside... stay put. This is going to be some real wind," Russo recalled.
But as Hurricane Helene approached, "It just got scarier and scarier," she said.
Russo remembers at one point, "I just sobbed and said over and over, 'God help us.' I really thought we were all going to die."
Russo was stuck on the mountain for about three days.
"Can you imagine this... you're stuck. There's no road to get out where you are or your bridge is washed out. And the only thing they can do is drop down chainsaws and oil and gas and ask you to try to cut your way out because they can't get there. Not yet," Russo said.
When Russo did make it down the mountain, she came to Minnesota to stay with her mom.
While there's some flooding in her place, Russo realizes it could've been worse.
"I knew that I was one of the lucky ones," she said.
Very soon after arriving in Minnesota, Russo said people started asking her how they could help.
"All of a sudden I was like, 'Oh, that's right... I'm in like the kindest state in America,'" Russo said.
Over the weekend, Russo took her website and changed it into a home base with resources on how Minnesotans can help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Within 24 hours, she had launched the MNCares Campaign.
Russo's background in public relations has kept her well-connected to groups in western North Carolina.
"They're all vetted and I really have spent a lot of time talking to people on the ground. Because I wanted to make sure that people would feel comfortable that if they went on here, it's a great place to donate to," Russo said. "I really want it to be a clearing house for good information."
Besides choosing a diverse group of organizations to highlight, Russo is asking for new or used coats, hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to be shipped to a few centers.
More than 100,000 people in western North Carolina are still without power while the area is bracing for lows in the 40s.
"I realized that not only was I in the kindest state, but I was in the state people have the most coats," Russo said.
Russo is also listing items needed, such as personal protective equipment, LifeStraws to filter water and portable power banks.
"People are like, 'I can't believe you just moved there a year ago and there's a hurricane.' And I said without even thinking... 'I think God put me in the right place, exactly where I was supposed to be,'" Russo said. "But I also think that about coming here because as soon as I got here, everyone wanted to help."
Russo plans on traveling back to western North Carolina on Thursday and will be helping on the ground. She said she will update her website as needs change. Russo is also hoping to partner with businesses to provide necessary items.
The most up-to-date information can be found on Russo's website. However, here is the current list as of Oct. 8, 2024.
Mail new or used coats, hats, mittens, gloves and scarves of all sizes for all ages to these centers:
Interfaith Assistance Ministry
310 Freeman Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792
French Broad River Academy
1990 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28804
Bee Log Missionary Baptist Church
22 Bee Log Road
Burnsville, NC 28714
Some items needed that can be mailed to the addresses above:
Portable Power Bank, Personal Water Filter Straw (or similar), Tyvek Suits (or similar), PPE Gloves (or similar) and Rubber Boots (or similar, all sizes).
Donate to: Global Empowerment Mission; Community Foundation of Henderson County; Baptists on a Mission; Manna Food Bank; ROAR (Rural Organizing and Resilience); and Helene Rebuild Collaborative.
More information on each organization can also be found on the MNCares website. You can also follow along through Russo's Instagram: @lynnerusso.