How a conspiracy-fueled group got a foothold in this hurricane-battered town

In the quiet foothill town of Lake Lure, North Carolina, Hurricane Helene brought more than just high winds and flooding. It exposed the town’s vulnerability and, in the aftermath, revealed how easily a crisis can transform into an opportunity for outside influence—sometimes from unexpected or even dubious sources. While the residents of Lake Lure focused on recovery, an outside group known as Veterans on Patrol (VOP) arrived, offering help with a vision that claimed to be from God, but the group’s involvement soon raised questions about their true intentions. This story highlights the complexities of disaster recovery, community resilience, and the hidden dangers of well-meaning efforts that can be infiltrated by conspiratorial narratives.

Lake Lure: A Town at Nature’s Mercy

Lake Lure, a picturesque town nestled in the mountains of Rutherford County, is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. With a population of just over 1,000, it is an idyllic community often visited for its scenic beauty and peaceful environment. However, like many small, rural towns, Lake Lure lacks the infrastructure to withstand the devastating impact of natural disasters. When Hurricane Helene struck in 2018, the town was left without power, water, and crucial lines of communication.

For days, the residents of Lake Lure were cut off from the outside world, left to fend for themselves. Streets were blocked by fallen trees, and the town’s local resources quickly dwindled. In the face of this chaos, two residents, Carin Harris and Hilary Yoxall, stepped forward with a simple but effective plan: distribute hot coffee and supplies to those in need.

What began as a small act of kindness quickly grew into a community-wide relief effort. Outside the local Ingles supermarket, the makeshift operation became a central hub where people could find food, water, and clothing. Donations poured in from nearby towns, and soon, the small parking lot transformed into a beacon of hope. The town was banding together in the way that tight-knit communities often do during times of crisis. However, as the days went by and the initial chaos of the hurricane began to subside, the arrival of an outside group complicated matters.

Veterans on Patrol: The Arrival of Outside Help

In the midst of Lake Lure’s recovery efforts, a group known as Veterans on Patrol (VOP) arrived one night in mid-October. Comprised of just four members at the time, the group’s leader, Lewis Arthur, came with lofty promises and a grand vision for the town’s recovery. Arthur claimed that his mission was divinely inspired, a three-year plan to help Lake Lure and other surrounding areas bounce back from the hurricane’s devastation. Arthur, who had garnered a small following through his previous work, presented himself as a man on a mission from God.

At first, the group’s presence seemed like a blessing. The town’s resources were stretched thin, and having an additional set of hands to organize and distribute donations was welcomed. VOP members helped sort through the mountains of diapers, canned food, and winter clothes that had accumulated in the parking lot. Harris, Yoxall, and other residents were initially grateful for the extra help, seeing it as a sign of relief in the midst of a challenging time.

But there was something different about this group, something that made some residents uneasy. For one, Veterans on Patrol had arrived with no supplies of their own. Instead, they came with promises—promises that grew more ambitious with each passing day. The group’s leader, Arthur, spoke of large-scale plans, but the specifics of how these plans would unfold remained vague. Soon, the group’s involvement began to overshadow the grassroots efforts of the local community, and the situation took an unexpected turn.

When Help Comes with Strings Attached

As Veterans on Patrol became more entrenched in Lake Lure’s recovery efforts, tensions began to rise. Arthur, whose rhetoric was steeped in religious imagery and promises of divine intervention, started to exert more control over the distribution center. Some residents, like Yoxall, began to feel uneasy about the direction things were headed. What had started as a simple relief operation—neighbors helping neighbors—was now being steered by an outside group whose motives weren’t entirely clear.

Arthur’s message resonated with some, particularly those who were desperate for a sense of order and security in the wake of the hurricane. But others, like Yoxall, questioned the group’s intentions. Despite its name, Veterans on Patrol was not affiliated with any official veterans’ organization, and its members had a history of involvement in conspiracy theories. This wasn’t just a relief group—it was a group with a broader agenda.

Over time, it became clear that VOP was using its relief efforts as a platform to promote its own beliefs. Arthur’s speeches, delivered with the fervor of a preacher, began to take on a more conspiratorial tone. He spoke of secret government plots, human trafficking rings, and other outlandish theories that had no basis in the reality of Lake Lure’s situation. To the outside observer, it might have appeared that the group was simply helping the town recover, but to those on the ground, it became increasingly clear that VOP’s agenda was about more than just hurricane relief.

The Role of Conspiracy in Disaster Recovery

Lake Lure’s experience with Veterans on Patrol is not an isolated incident. In times of crisis, when communities are vulnerable and desperate for help, outside groups with their own agendas often see an opportunity to step in. These groups, which can range from religious organizations to political movements, offer aid but with strings attached. They present themselves as saviors, but their true goal is to gain influence over the communities they claim to help.

In the case of Veterans on Patrol, the group’s rhetoric was deeply rooted in conspiracy theories. This is a common tactic for groups seeking to exploit disaster situations. When people are in a state of trauma and uncertainty, they are more susceptible to accepting extreme ideas, particularly when those ideas are wrapped in the language of salvation and recovery. In Lake Lure, the arrival of VOP brought a new layer of complexity to the town’s recovery efforts, as residents had to navigate not only the physical challenges of rebuilding but also the psychological impact of the group’s influence.

Conspiracy theories thrive in environments of fear and confusion, and disasters create the perfect conditions for these ideas to take root. When a community is reeling from the immediate effects of a hurricane, fire, or other catastrophic event, the lines between reality and fiction can blur. In Lake Lure, Veterans on Patrol capitalized on this confusion, inserting their narrative into the town’s recovery process. What started as a humanitarian effort became something much more complicated—an effort to spread a fringe ideology.

Community Resilience: Fighting Back

As Arthur and Veterans on Patrol gained more visibility in Lake Lure, the community began to push back. Some residents, particularly those who had been skeptical from the start, started to question why the group was still involved, especially when their promises had yet to materialize into concrete action. Yoxall, with her background as a retired Army nurse, took it upon herself to investigate further into the group’s history and motivations. What she found confirmed her suspicions: Veterans on Patrol had a history of involvement in conspiracy-driven activism, particularly in the Southwest, where they had previously made headlines for conducting unauthorized patrols in the desert.

Yoxall and others in the community began to distance themselves from the group, urging fellow residents to take control of their own recovery efforts. This wasn’t easy, as VOP had already embedded itself deeply into the community. However, through persistence and the collective efforts of locals, Lake Lure began to regain its autonomy.

The town’s experience serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of community resilience in the face of disaster. While outside help is often necessary and welcomed, it’s crucial that communities retain control over their own recovery efforts. When groups like Veterans on Patrol attempt to insert themselves into vulnerable situations, they can undermine the very recovery process they claim to support. In Lake Lure, it was the residents’ ability to recognize and reject this outside influence that ultimately allowed them to move forward.

The Broader Implications

Lake Lure’s story is part of a broader pattern seen in disaster-affected areas across the country. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters, more communities will find themselves in situations similar to Lake Lure. In these moments of crisis, the need for outside aid is inevitable, but so too is the risk of exploitation by groups with their own agendas.

This dynamic raises important questions about how we, as a society, organize and oversee disaster relief efforts. While the government and large humanitarian organizations play a significant role, grassroots efforts are often crucial for meeting the immediate needs of those affected by disaster. However, these grassroots efforts can also be vulnerable to infiltration by groups like Veterans on Patrol, who seek to use disaster situations as a platform for spreading their beliefs.

To prevent this, communities must be vigilant in protecting their autonomy and critically evaluating the motivations of those who offer help. Disaster recovery is not just about rebuilding physical structures—it’s also about rebuilding trust and ensuring that recovery efforts are driven by the needs and values of the community, not by outside forces looking to take advantage of a vulnerable situation.

Conclusion

The story of Lake Lure and Veterans on Patrol is a cautionary tale about the complex dynamics of disaster recovery. In the aftermath of a crisis, when communities are at their most vulnerable, outside groups with hidden agendas can easily slip in under the guise of providing aid. While the intentions of these groups may not always be malicious, their involvement can complicate recovery efforts and undermine the autonomy of the very communities they claim to help.

In Lake Lure, it was the resilience of the local community that ultimately allowed them to reclaim control of their recovery process. By questioning the motives of Veterans on Patrol and rejecting their conspiratorial narratives