Six months following Helene’s impacts on western North Carolina, much work remains. But plans and funding are continuing.
Many communities have held remembrance ceremonies for those lost, cleanup days and gatherings to keep one another together during tough times of recovery.
Helene hit Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26 and continued to western North Carolina on Sept. 27. Five inches of rain per hour triggered nearly 2,000 landslides, a historical event, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Of those, about 230 affected rivers, roads and structures across the region.
Following the impact, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has worked to reopen roads, reducing closures from approximately 1,230 to about 190.
But recovery efforts will continue for some time, costing the state and federal government billions, according to Gov. Josh Stein.
In a recent interview with Spectrum News 1 anchor Tim Boyum, Stein said some communities hit by Katrina are still rebuilding to this day, but the priority is to make recovery take the shortest amount of time possible.
As major roads and bridges reopen, they allow more avenues for tourism, which mountain towns, such as Asheville and Boone, rely on.
The problem for some has since expanded, as small business owners try to get the word out that they are again open for business.
Most state parks have reopened since the storm, though a few are still closed long term, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. It's a stark contrast from October when all state parks west of Interstate 77 were closed.
The total estimated damage is thought to be over $60 billion.
Though a recently approved funding bill from the General Assembly aimed at helping farmers and residents who have lost homes to Helene and other storms, Stein said there will be a gap not covered by private insurance when all is said and done.
Deadlines continue to expire for western North Carolinians impacted by Helene. Click here for important dates.
Recent coverage as our mountain communities continue to rebuild:
- Yancey County couple went 4 months without power after Helene “It was an unreal situation, and one that I hope I never have to see again,” Diane Merz said. The moment is still ingrained in Bill Merz’s memory. “The kids were crying. It was really sad. It almost made me cry,” he said. “I get a little upset thinking about it because the kids, they knew everything they owned was gone.”
- Fairview man survives in post-Helene world David Traynor is happy to make it through every night of the winter cold. His life hasn’t been the same since Hurricane Helene hit. “When I woke up, I walked to the front door and looked out the front porch,” Traynor said. “(It) was laying like that straight down. I thought I can’t do nothing about it now.”
- ‘Ready for people to come back’: Asheville's small businesses need tourists With Helene’s aftermath behind them, Asheville businesses are inviting tourists back, emphasizing their urgent need for economic recovery. These business owners, to support their community, show what it means to have resilience after nearly losing their way of living. They're sharing their post-storm experiences.
- Inside a nonprofit's nonstop effort to get relief to western North Carolina as donations slow Go inside a warehouse in Arden, where the work never stops. Volunteers with America Cares, a nonprofit delivering relief to families impacted by Helene, are sorting, packing and transporting essential supplies to communities still struggling months after the storm. "The need is far greater than what’s coming in," said Jennifer Jones, the nonprofit’s procurement director.
- Everyday Hero: Driver buses people to safety during Helene Sometimes all it takes is one moment, one action to become a hero. That’s the case of a Buncombe County school bus driver, who without a second thought, answered the call to rescue people in his community during Helene. Bruce Sullivan is as beloved as they come and stepped up at a critical time.
