The Shed Haulers Brotherhood

Hurricane Helene was a hurricane that devastated areas across the southeastern part of the United States in September 2024, the deadliest to strike the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005. Helene is reported to have caused hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damages.

When the Shed Haulers Brotherhood, headquartered in South Carolina, heard from others, or saw for themselves, what the devastation was like how many people were left without homes, without cars, with businesses destroyed, with employers gone, leaving them with no job to help them get through this horrific event, they thought they had to help. They decided people would be better off with sheds to live in rather than being out in the cold. Shed donations began.

Helping People 

Sam Byler, the acting leader of the Shed Hauler’s Brotherhood, has been helping with cleanup and getting people sheds. He and his group originally pledged to get 100 sheds to 100 families, couples, and singles. They have now provided more than 400 and they have enough people on the list to take them over 500. At this point, 600 is looking like a realistic goal.

During cleanup in South Carolina, temporary homes were needed and, within 24 hours, they had donations for half of what is needed. Everyone in the industry helped, builders, dealers, rent-to-owners, anyone who could. The sheds are small structures, 8’x16’ or 10’x24’, but they insulate them, and they are dry places to come in out of the cold. There were some people who had no reserves, elderly, a veterinary service, and a few others who were likely to use these shelters as their forever home, so volunteers made them a little bigger and turned them into cabins.

In Tennessee, trees came down and people lost electrical service. Some were without electricity for long periods of time and people’s homes were destroyed. In Tennessee and North Carolina, the earth had been ripped up and when it rained, flooding and mudslides began. Many people lost absolutely everything.

Byler said FEMA came out and issued vouchers for some people to obtain temporary shelter in motels, but sooner or later those vouchers run out. Other organizations have come out to help including Amish groups, some church groups, and others. A group called Get Out of the Cold, in Barnardsville, North Carolina, led by Jeremy Barker is building sheds for people. Drivers from Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and all over, have come out to donate sheds.

Handing Out Hope

Even with all this generosity, there are still so many in need and not enough resources to go around. Many people are living in tents in the cold winter weather.  When they contact Byler and ask when they can expect a shed/home, he has to say, “I’m sorry, just hold on to hope. We will get to you.” 

The worst thing is that a crisis like this leaves many people without hope. Sometimes it has resulted in suicide. Seeing this is what inspires Byler to help the hurricane victims. He and his fellow volunteers are trying to give hope. 

What Are Shed Homes Like?

“When people get their shed, they walk in and it’s snug and warm and clean, you can see in their faces that a little bit of hope has come back to them,” Byler said.

The sheds these volunteers are giving people are good shelter; they are insulated, they have decent windows and doors. Most people are using generators to provide electricity and heat, though it’s always a struggle to get fuel for them. However, these tiny homes have no running water. Much of the area’s infrastructure is gone; sewer systems are washed out and wells are contaminated. If they had plumbing in their homes, there would be nowhere for the waste to go. People are using Porta Potties and incinerating toilets.

The Shed Haulers Brotherhood

Who is this group helping so many people? The Shed Haulers Brotherhood began when, in 2018 or 19, an owner/operater bought a new truck but bad fuel messed up the engine, and the shed haulers on the Facebook page decided to come together and support him and another shed hauler whose new motor went bad. Together the group raised the $31,000 that they needed to help both. The group then decided to become more formalized, and the original group had 289 charter members. 

Some members have come and some have gone, Byler said. He believes membership is now around 250. However, it’s not just the brotherhood members who are involved in helping people. They have many followers and people across the industry who have stepped up. In fact, one volunteer said he’d never seen anything like it. Even church groups he’s seen have not pulled together and been this committed to helping others.

Helping comes naturally to the Brotherhood. They are committed to helping each other, connecting lenders with industry people, helping each other any way they can. Byler has said that he, as well as others who are helping, all have personal reasons, as well, for doing so. Someone helped them out when they really needed it.

What Now?

Although Byler and other volunteers have done so much, Byler struggles with the knowledge that there are still so many people without homes. He sees some people rebuilding, but NPR gave the number of 120,000 homes destroyed by Helene, and Byler figures that just between western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, there are easily 50,000 people without permanent homes.

Byler hopes that people will be able to put their lives together and move on, but he thinks that eventually, they will have to go back and install water in all these shed-homes. 

Several Ways to Help

Volunteers are needed. Byler said there are so many opportunities. Cleanup is ongoing, and his group and others will welcome anyone who offers.

If you can’t volunteer, every restoration project needs money. Visit the website below and find out more about the work.

Donate

If you don’t have money to give, Byler asks for your prayers for everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Helene.