HOOVER, Alabama (WBRC) – A 911 dispatcher from Hoover is back home after spending two weeks in North Carolina helping with Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

Collin Nelson and several other Shelby County 911 dispatchers traveled to Yancy County, where there was no power, water or cell service.

Nelson said just two days after receiving the call, they packed up to provide some help and support to North Carolina dispatchers who were severely impacted by the hurricane.

Nelson says they were scared at first to go to an unfamiliar place, but once they arrived they were welcomed with open arms.

When they met the team they were replacing, they were very helpful and although it was a difficult time for them, they were very helpful.

Especially when it came to learning how to operate his equipment and use a generator for power.

Nelson and his team faced several challenges, but their motto “one team, one heart” empowered them to keep going and not give up.

With all the non-stop 911 calls they received, Nelson says one call in particular will stay with her forever. “She had been at home without electricity or water and was distraught like everyone else. “Talking to her and asking her for help, I heard them get there and I could hear the relief in her voice and after I hung up on that call, I really felt like I had made a difference in that moment.”

Nelson says without the support and protection of Madison County Sheriff’s deputies his work would not have been possible.

She says that after two weeks, they all became like a family and found it difficult to leave because there was more work to do.

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