Photo: Gesundheit / E+ / Getty Images
When the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the western Carolinas over the weekend, several iHeartRadio employees, including News Director and WWNC morning show host Mark Starling, were trapped in our Ashville, North Carolina, studio as numerous trees were knocked down, leaving the building with no power.
In addition, the storms knocked out phone service, so he had no way of contacting anybody outside of the studio.
While the employees were stuck in the studio, iHeartRadio dispatched employees from other stations and cut-in crews to start removing the trees and clearing a path to the station. After more than 24 hours, crews were able to reach the station to bring it back online and get the phones running so Mark could get on the air to provide critical information for everybody in the region impacted by the historic flooding.
Mark, who had been in the studio since Thursday (September 26) night, began taking calls when his wife, Brandi, called to let him know she was safe.
Mark's voice started to crack as he fought back tears, asking how she was doing. She said that she was doing fine and had just returned from a town hall meeting with officials in Black Mountain. During the meeting, residents were told there were no emergency services coming to the area. Officials urged residents to leave due to the lack of power, water, gas, and medical services.
Mark asked his wife what her plans were, and she said she was trying to coordinate with his brother about going to his house, but Mark suggested that if she could make it out, she should come to the radio station.
You can listen to the clip below: