Philadelphia Girard College students still sheltering in place on North Carolina mountain after Helene
A group of 31 Girard College ninth graders and three chaperones are still sheltering in place on a mountain in North Carolina, stranded after the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. There is no clear return date in sight.
The students left for the weeklong outdoor excursion in partnership with the North Carolina Outward Bound School last Sunday, Sept. 22. They were supposed to be back late Friday evening.
Parent Terri Ewell, whose son Isaiah is on the trip, said she's concerned.
"We're all super nervous, you know, obviously, especially since it's our babies," she said. "By Saturday, I started getting really worried."
On Monday, Outward Bound USA's National Safety Director Caroline Blair-Smith shared a statement with CBS News Philadelphia, explaining the Girard group is stationed safely at their base camp at Table Rock Mountain.
In the statement, Blair-Smith explained that the roads leading to and from the base camp are impassable, due to destruction and debris from Hurricane Helene. The statement continues:
"Everyone is safe, with unlimited water, ample food supplies, heated shelter and shower facilities. Power was restored at 12:45pm on Sunday, and students were able to speak with their parents that evening.
Once a safe route out is established, the Girard group will be able to head home. We are optimistic that could happen within the next 48 hours. We know the Girard students and their parents miss each other. This unprecedented situation has been worrying, but everyone is safe and together and will be in good care for as long as it takes to establish a safe route home."
While parents have been updated daily since Friday by Girard College via email, they expressed concerns over the limited direct communication with their children. Families received their first phone calls from the students on Sunday. Brittany Yon, another parent, said her son Dallas appeared to be in "good spirits" during the call. Ewell said, however, parts of the trip sounded especially difficult to deal with.
"My child was telling me that they slept in a puddle of water," Ewell said. "They were sleeping in the rain with tarps…because they had to shelter in place. I can only imagine how terrifying it was."
Renee Wilson, whose granddaughter is on the trip, said the school should have better anticipated the impact of the forecasted storm.
"Once they knew this could possibly happen, the trip should've been canceled," she said.
A spokesperson for Girard College said both the school and Outward Bound believed it would be safe for students to go on the trip and said no one expected the storm to cause a significant impact in the Asheville area.
Families in Philadelphia told CBS News Philadelphia they are continuing to coordinate with emergency services in North Carolina to help do what they can to facilitate the students' return.
Girard College provided a statement that reads, in part,
"Thirty-one of our 9th grade students, together with a teacher and two resident advisors, are temporarily unable to return from their week-long Outward Bound enrichment program due to damaged roads caused by Hurricane Helene. All students and adults are safe and are being cared for while Outward Bound works with local and state officials to clear the roads that provide access to the camp, which is located in Asheville, NC. We are in constant communication with the program, and we have been assured that our children will be transported back to Philadelphia as soon as road and weather conditions permit safe travel.
"This is the second year that Girard 9th graders have attended Outward Bound, which provides wilderness experiences to teach life lessons and skills for students from schools across the country, including many Philadelphia area private schools.
"We appreciate the continued patience and support of the students and their families while we await the campers' safe return."