Hurricane Helene Relief
September 2024 – September 2025
Last updated: October 2024
All Hands and Hearts mobilized to surrounding regions before Hurricane Helene’s record-breaking landfall, moving in to provide immediate support to communities affected by its catastrophic impacts. We are on the ground in Florida and North Carolina, aiding in cleanup and hazardous debris removal in the early stages of our 12-month response to Hurricane Helene.
Our Work
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s impact on the Southeast U.S., it was clear that the storm’s repercussions would be felt for months, if not years. All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) was staged and ready to provide immediate relief, first arriving in Pasco and Madison Counties, Florida, in the hours following Helene’s passage. Within two days, AHAH deployed a team to Asheville, North Carolina, in response to reports of unprecedented flash flooding and mudslides ravaging the region. As cleanup efforts began, it became evident that the community’s recovery needs exceeded local capacity, requiring a long-term relief program and partner through each step of recovery.
Current Activities
AHAH’s dedicated staff and volunteers have been on the ground since the early hours of the storm. Rapid mobilization allowed teams to quickly address the immediate needs of communities, supporting homeowners in Florida and North Carolina by assessing sites for cleanup, mucking, gutting and removing hazardous debris. The team is also strengthening partnerships with local organizations such as Pasco BRAVE, by collaborating on cleanup sites and planning muck and gut training sessions for local volunteers.
AHAH has been scaling up its efforts in Asheville, North Carolina, preparing to receive volunteers for a 12-month program after making initial damage assessments and meeting with local community leaders.
Disaster Profile
Hurricane Helene made a historic landfall as a Category 4 storm, the strongest to ever hit Florida’s Big Bend since records began. With winds exceeding 140 mph, devastating storm surges and deadly flooding, Hurricane Helene left over four million without power while causing catastrophic damage as it traveled up toward Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. North Carolina’s western Appalachian region bore the brunt of Helene’s devastation. Historic rainfall caused rivers in the region to overflow, flooding settlements and destroying homes and infrastructure, while cutting off power, transportation and communication in the aftermath of the storm. Several dams were breached, and mudslides further worsened the damage.
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