Kayaks reconnect internet after hurricane
Corning’s customers turned to creative solutions after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in 2024
When Hurricane Helene hit the United States in September 2024, it brought devastation so great that people in rural western North Carolina are still struggling to recover from the storm’s damage. Historic rainfall, strong winds, and flooding destroyed homes and washed away roads. The hurricane wreaked havoc on power lines and fiber optic cables, leaving emergency services, hospitals, businesses, and community members without a vital communications system.
Network providers – big and small – reached out to their providers at Corning Optical Communications to get back online as soon as possible. But how do you reconnect miles of fiber optic cable across rushing water and mountains?
One answer? By kayak.
“It was critical to get communications back up,” said Joe Jensen, Senior Director, Value Creation, Optical Connectivity Solutions. “Without communications, you can’t get emergency crews into the affected areas.”
Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in September 2024 and knocked out power and telecommunications connections.
Reconnecting the unconnected
“Helene was a devastating event for SkyLine,” said Brantley Davis, Plant Manager, SkyLine Membership Corp.
SkyLine, a telecommunications cooperative, provides internet services for much of Western North Carolina.
“We lost 95 percent of our network in a matter of hours. People in the affected communities couldn’t communicate,” Davis said. “That’s when our community needed us the most, and Corning was instrumental in our response.”
Corning, the company that invented low-loss optical fiber -- the hair-thin strands of glass that make the Internet possible -- stepped in to help. After all, the people in the hurricane-affected areas weren't just Corning's customers; they were neighbors. Corning operates two of the world's largest optical fiber and cable plants in North Carolina and employs some 5,000 people in the state.
When Helene hit, Corning employees linked up with network providers to assess their needs quickly, and not long after, shipments left Corning's nearby North Carolina facilities with fiber, cable and connectivity solutions.
Photos from SkyLine show Helene's damage to telecommunications infrastructure like telephone poles and street cabinets. Courtesy: SkyLine/SkyBest
“I’ve been here for over 35 years, and this storm was very unique,” said Bob Hilton, a Corning sales manager. “I’ve probably covered 50 hurricane recoveries over the years, and I am still in awe of our response. We were shipping and delivering cable to the affected area the same day it was ordered.”
In addition to processing – and even delivering – the orders, Corning and its customers also faced the unique challenge of how to connect the cable itself. Fiber optic cables typically run underground or along utility lines. Because flooding washed out underground cable and toppled power line poles, one customer had to be creative.
Cue the kayak.
Corning customer delivers fiber optic cable across rushing waters to restore connectivity in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Delivering fiber cables across flooding
The plan was to deliver the cable from one side of the rushing water to the other via kayak.
“They attached a conduit to the life preserver of a kayaker and off they went,” Hilton said, referring to the tube that protects the fiber optic strands. “It shows the extreme effort our customers were putting into getting the service back up.
Corning worked closely with customers across the region to speed up restoration, strengthening their relationships and community spirit.
“Multiple people from Corning were in contact with us throughout the recovery process, asking ‘What do you need and how can we help?’” Davis said. “Our relationship with Corning proved invaluable in a time of unprecedented challenges.”
The collaboration and effort between Corning and local service providers was Herculean, but it is just the tip of the iceberg, Hilton said. The overall restoration is expected to take years as roads and buildings are rebuilt. Through it all, Corning will be there, providing top-notch products and service.
“It’s still very fast, and it’s all served by glass,” he said.
Corning collaborates with customers in the field, ensuring its connectivity portfolio works as efficiently as possible.
