911 dispatcher recalls harrowing moments answering calls for help as Helene ripped through WNC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As Buncombe County's 911 dispatch center went down while Helene ripped through, many emergency calls from western North Carolina we re-routed to other counties. The Raleigh-Wake 911 Center was one of the centers that started taking calls.

"It was just overwhelming, the call volume we received. It was more than we'd ever received here at the center, and we're a pretty large center, so that's saying a lot," Raleigh dispatcher Amanda Willinsky told ABC11.

The volume of calls was challenging, but so was the level of severity.

"Every single call was high priority, and I could hear when you're sitting in the room, you can hear everybody around you," Willinksy said. "I could hear their calls and what they were telling the people, and you could just tell it was going to be heartbreaking out there."

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Willinsky comes from a long line of first responders - her dad, brother, and grandpa. She said the calls she takes don't usually affect her while she's at work, but the day the storm moved through was different.

"It was hitting you in the moment. It was a lot harder to stay composed when you're hearing what we're hearing," she said.

Now, more than a week later, the day and the damage done still weigh heavily on Willinsky and her coworkers. They've had visits from the Raleigh Police Department's therapy dogs, and are banding together to support one another.

Normally, when people call Willinsky for help, she can send help right away. She said it was hard knowing that because of how strong the storm was, some people who called her likely did not end up receiving help.

"We just hope that our voices were what helped them fight and continue to fight to get out of any bad situation they might have been on it, and that's, you know, what makes the job worth it," she said.