Hurricane Helene was a deadly storm that destroyed Western North Carolina. According to the U.S Census Bureau, “About 577,000 people (20.2%) living in the 27 counties in North Carolina under a major disaster declaration after Hurricane Helene had high social vulnerability to disasters”. A total of 175 people were killed during the flooding, high winds, storm surge and or tornados that the hurricane brought. On top of that another 71 people died due to vehicle wrecks, medical emergencies and accidents during cleanup. People not just in Western North Carolina dealt with the loss of their loved ones, but anyone related to people have been impacted as well. Thousands of homes were destroyed from the storm creating a problem for people left with no roof over their head. Hurricane Helene struck areas that have difficulty recovering from disasters. Counties in the declared disaster zones have tend to have an increase of older adults, people with disabilities, and mobile homes. People in North Carolina were effected by this storm, but people outside of this state chose to help respond to the impact. People have been contributing for years donating to the Disaster Relief Fund and many other organizations. Western North Carolina has been changed forever because of this storm but the efforts to uplift and fund the community goes a long way.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/10/hurricane-helene.html