One Year Since Hurricane Helene

“It’s raining today, and I’m anxious every time it rains,” Marya, a Hurricane Helene survivor, told us. “I don’t trust the mountains to stay where they are. I don’t trust the trees to stay where they are. Rain isn’t just a pretty noise. It’s a threat.”

One year ago, Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains and fierce winds swept down the U.S.’s East Coast, tearing a destructive path through places hurricanes had never reached before. In the Western Appalachian mountains, the hardest-hit city of Asheville, North Carolina, had never experienced a disaster at this scale, let alone from a hurricane. Nobody was prepared for what was to come: homes were completely submerged by mud and floodwaters, businesses destroyed, entire roads crumbled down mountains. Helene created one of the largest landslide events in U.S. history, cutting off entire mountain communities from the rest of the world for weeks, and even months.

Many feared they would remain stuck in conditions they could never overcome.

The first days after the disaster were only the beginning. As soon as it was safe during the storm, All Hands & Hearts (AH&H) arrived in North Carolina to launch the start of a long-term recovery effort, knowing disasters of this scale take years to heal from. True resilience is built now, then, and in the long months and years that follow, as families return to safe, dignified homes and communities, prepared for whatever storms may come next.

Building Back Stronger in North Carolina

Since the storm, our staff and volunteers have worked alongside families across Asheville and nearby mountain towns, making homes safe and livable again. We began with emergency cleanup—mucking and gutting mud and waterlogged debris reaching up to four feet high in some family homes—before moving on to case-specific repairs like insulation, drywall, flooring and moisture barriers to guard against mold.

We’ve been assisting households that had been at real risk of “non-recovery”—families who, without support, might never have been able to return home. Today, over a hundred households have crossed that threshold back into stability, their houses repaired along with their sense of home, stability and a new sense of hopeful wonder for the future.

“We burst into tears in the front yard, me and my mother, because it was the first time someone said they were going to help us.”

For Tiffanee, the damage was overwhelming. Floodwaters and debris collapsed a door with pressure and tore through her basement, destroying more than half her home. Mold quickly took over, making it hard to breathe and forcing her family to move from place to place for months. With the support of AH&H, her basement has been rebuilt, the mold eliminated, and her family finally able to return home.

Hurricane Recovery in Florida

Farther south, our work in the early days after Helene extended to Pasco County, Florida, where damage from previous hurricanes compounded the challenges for already vulnerable households. Here, our teams had already been in place for over two years since Hurricane Ian, leading long-term rebuilding efforts. Less than two weeks after Helene, they would once again have to evacuate, this time ahead of Hurricane Milton’s destructive landfall on October 9, 2024.

Roland’s home in Florida was flooded by Hurricane Helene, with waters so strong they carried his belongings down the road. Today, our teams are helping transform many more houses like his back into true homes—installing drywall, flooring, insulation, trim and paint—while licensed contractors handle critical repairs like roofing, plumbing and electrical work.

This combined approach ensures families like Roland’s aren’t left with half-finished homes, but can return to safe, complete and resilient living spaces, ready to move forward with their lives without worrying about the next hurricane.

“They’ve been a great help, I mean, wow, I wasn’t expecting this,” Roland shared. When asked what he looks forward to most once his home is ready, he smiled: “Cooking a meal again, in my own house.”

A Year Later: The Recovery Journey Continues

Still, we are coming across many homes still in need of urgent clean up efforts. We’ve recently completed our 100th muck and gut, showing us the need for support is far from slowing down. 

Thanks to the resilience of the families we serve, the trust of local partners, and the compassion of our donors and volunteers, communities are moving forward with their lives. Homes that once stood dark and waterlogged are now filled with light, warmth and the sounds of daily life. Families who were grieving what was lost one year ago are now choosing new paint colors for their walls and reclaiming the sense of home they deserve.