Hurricane Helene Recovery

Posted on by Tucker Hennessy

Hurricane Helene was a slow moving storm that tore across western North Carolina in September 2024, resulting in widespread flooding and destruction. Normally, hurricanes move relatively fast, so most of the damage is due to the fast winds of these storms. However, Helene moved slowly, so it dumped an extremely large amount of rain on the region. This was amplified by the fact that the hilly terrain of western NC resulted in all of the rain moving downhill, which created fast moving currents that caused widespread property damage. Additionally, the recovery was difficult due to entire roads and bridges being washed out in the process, which made reaching hard hit communities even harder. In several places they had to first build makeshift bridges just to get resources to very remote communities. Even with huge amounts of money and time spent, it still took approximately 2-3 months before they had rebuild the main power and water purification units in the western part of the state.

I learned about all of this from my dad, who works for the state government as an environmental regulator and section chief. He was responsible for helping to lead and direct the response to the storm. He shared a lot of information with me over the 2 months or so that he was helping with the response.

What happened? Describe the events and their impact on Western North Carolina.

Posted on by Sam Fogleman

Hurricane Helene originated in the Gulf of America and started to move up the Florida coast. After hitting Florida, Helene made it was inland where it struck North Carolina in late September, 2024. Western North Carolina was a direct hit for this storm, bringing torrential rains and strong winds to the mountainous region. After a couple days of bad storms, Helene was gone but at what cost. This storm destroyed the western NC region with catastrophic flooding. The rivers that used to flow through these amazing mountain communities rose up above their river banks. This caused homes to literally be swept away with families inside and for landslides to swallow homes leaving nothing behind. This storm impacted this region dramatically; it left families without homes, water, food, clothes, heat, and power. According to the Weather Channel, 175 people were killed from the flooding, high winds, storm surge, or tornadoes. Another 71 people were killed after the storm due the repercussions of the damage. Hurricane Helene was the deadliest inland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. These communities are still recovering from the storm that destroyed their homes.

Hurricane Helene & Recovery

Posted on by Carter Elaina Wright

Hurricane Helene devastated most of Western North Carolina, neighboring parts, and some areas of Virginia and Tennessee. According to the NC Department of Insurance, “the mountains were impacted the most with severe flooding and landslides, completely ruining many communities.” The damages that resulted from Hurricane Helene have made it one of the deadliest disasters in the United States in the 21st century, with at least 249 deaths. Thousands of roads and bridges were washed away, cutting communities from accessing emergency response and recovery teams.

Since the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $203 million in housing, with more than $19 million in housing grants to help pay for home repairs, temporary housing, and home replacement. In addition to the help from FEMA, around 24 Disaster Recovery Centers have been opened in affected areas.

How did the hurricane impact you?

Posted on by Rodrigo Alessandro Baldeon

Hurricane Helene, a very recent category 4 hurricane back in the end of September 2024. Dumped large amounts of rain in Western NC. Personally, I was here in Raleigh during the hurricane. I remember staying inside my apartment for the entire day because of the large amounts of rain even though it was only here to tropical storm level strength of winds, in contrast my parents, whose house is in a town 30 minutes east of Charlotte called Midland, from the things my parents told me is that there was a power outage throughout the neighborhood for a couple of hours and that the roads going out of the neighborhood were just completely blocked and the stream that is by the entrance, wasn’t flooded that tremendously since Florence back in 2018. In summary, me personally and family- wise we weren’t really affected tremendously as in other people around the state.

Hurricane Helene

Posted on by Elijah Clark Moffitt

Hurricane Helene was a category 4 hurricane that made landfall in the gulf last September and made its way through the southeastern United States leaving a devastating trail of destruction behind it. Hurricane Helene’s impact swept away many peoples homes, washed away major roads and killed roughly 250 people making it the deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Recovery efforts are still in full swing in the small towns and communities of western North Carolina. While federal Aid did step in and support what they could, it took the many volunteers, non-profits, and church communities who went above and beyond to support the cleanup and recovery.

I worked at my local foodlion at the time located in Mount Pleasant NC, our supply was heavily impacted by Helene. Many people were buying pallets of cases of water to load on trailers to take to the mountains. Many people also bought canned goods, non-perishable foods, and ready to eat foods. People were buying out the shelves for a good 3 weeks to haul up and give to families and communities who were hurt the most.

Here is a link for a Helene mission trip to help the cleanup cause

https://experiencemission.org/mission-trips/hurricane-helene-relief?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_hqSVZoKZSZvnSP_NmyH10sv6bE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqIm_BhDnARIsAKBYcmtOPBoLqXhzTb5W4paRmWAZ_CS-89CyO-yeb71c6nah3A5O0fXtYQQaAsz_EALw_wcB

Economics of Hurricane Helene Relief

Posted on by Brandon Gregory Collette

To date, the North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated $1.1 billion, and reallocated another $77 million to support response and recovery efforts, as well as another $225 million set aside for continued support and redevelopment. This figure of $1.1 billion only represents 2.4% of aid required to restore western NC to its pre-Helene state. In addition to the $1.1 billion in Helene aid provided by the General Assembly, North Carolina was awarded near $850 million in FEMA individual and public assistance. Storm damage analysts estimate a total of $6.9 billion more in FEMA Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will be provided to NC by the time damage from Helene is completely cleared.

sources: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092024_Helene.pdf

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2025-03-19-hurricane-helene-final-report-nhc-deaths-damage-flooding

By: Brandon Collette

Hurricane Helene’s Effect on My Family

Posted on by Holden Thomas Crane

I live in a small town at the base of the foothills in Western North Carolina, on the edge of the major disaster zone of hurricane Helene. When the hurricane hit, I was still in Raleigh, and the rest of my family was home to ride out the storm. The hurricane created major destruction just a short drive West of where I live in Cherryville, but the damage had lessened by the time it hit my home. My family lost power for about 4 or 5 days and local infrastructure was impeded but not destroyed, which made life difficult for a short time. Immediately following the disaster my family gathered supplies and took a trailer up through the disaster zone, stopping at churches that acted as supply outposts to find where their help was most needed. This was the first of several trips that they took to help as much as they could, bringing essential supplies to the families that had lost it all. The churches spread throughout the mountains were crucial centers for the disaster recovery, serving their local communities in any way possible. As my family made their way through the mountains, the churches they stopped at would send them further into the disaster zone to drop off supplies where they were needed the most. My family was blessed to have only been affected in the short term but many families and communities were changed forever by the loss of their homes and their loved ones due to this terrible disaster.

Hurricane Helene

Posted on by Caroline Cartwright Adkins
  1. Hurricane Helene hit the western part of North Carolina on September 27, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. The accumulated damage was about $60 billion. 40% of North Carolina’s population, that being about 4.6 million people, were affected by the hurricane. People were left without drinking water, electricity, ability to use cellphones, and healthcare facilities. Thousands of miles of roads were destroyed, leaving people stranded, unable to leave, and other unable to enter. (https://www.osbm.nc.gov/hurricane-helene-dna/open#:~:text=Helene’s%20impacts%20%E2%80%93%20particularly%20flooding%20and,counties%20for%20federal%20disaster%20assistance.)
  2. Students of Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, and other smaller colleges were unable to attend school for weeks do to significant damage. Other people of the western Appalachian region; Asheville, Gastonia, and Hickory. (https://www.osbm.nc.gov/blog/2024/10/07/insight-population-hurricane-helenes-path)

Hurricane Helene made a lasting impact on many areas in the US one of those being Western Carolina. There are many ways that individuals can help support this area that was impacted:

Posted on by Emily Grace Failla
  • Donate to legitimate foundations and organizations. This is one of the most direct ways to support recovery efforts. While social media has made it easier for people to connect and fundraise, it’s crucial to ensure that donations go to credible groups that can effectively use the funds for relief efforts. For example American Red Cross and Shield or North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.
  • Volunteer your time. This could be through working with established organizations, volunteer for relief efforts/ clean-up, or consider delivering supplies to
    these areas.
  • Spread Awareness about the effects of Hurricane Helene. Ways you can do this is by sharing information and encourage others to donate.

Here is a link to donate to help rebuild Western Carolina:

https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/help-disaster-survivors/#currentDisasters

Hurricane Helene Research

Posted on by Fiona Zheng

Hurricane Helene was a deadly tropical cyclone in September 2024 that hit many different areas in Southeastern United States such as Western North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. Hurricane Helene formed from a broad low-pressure system in the western Caribbean Sea, which then intensified rapidly as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico, fueled by abnormally warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear, eventually becoming a Category 4 hurricane. This disaster caused a lot of damages in the mountains, where severe flooding and landslides left many communities in ruins. Hurricane Helene was responsibly for at least 250 deaths.