Western North Carolina determined to recover ahead of holidays after Helene
Families in North Carolina continue to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, with several nonprofit organizations stepping in to help communities still very much in need as Christmas approaches. FOX Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender was in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sunday, where he spoke with a homeowner who had only minutes to escape the catastrophic flooding.
SWANNANOA, N.C. – Temperatures have dipped below freezing, the ground is muddy from days of rain and months-old debris remains littered and piled for miles around.
Winter has come to western North Carolina.
Yet, more than two months after Hurricane Helene brought historic rainfall and devastation, people remain determined to rebuild their lives and communities.
FAMILIES DISPLACED BY HELENE RECEIVE SHELTER FROM HOMEWARD BOUND
Much debris remains in Swannanoa, NC some 80 days after Hurricane Helene (David Rubin/FOX Weather)
FOX Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender returned to Swannanoa, North Carolina, some 80 days after he covered the devastation in the area in the immediate aftermath of Helene.
Swannanoa homeowner Daniel Wright is in the process of having his home gutted after it was mostly destroyed by the hurricane.
He spoke with Bender from inside what remained of his house.
“It kind of turns into an opportunity, I guess, for new beginnings. And to be grateful for what you do have.”
While Wright is looking at the glass half-full, he said the recovery process does take a toll.
“It’s hard to kind of be in a space like this when you’re used to it being your home where you raise your family. But you come out here every day, I guess you kind of get used to it.”
Gratitude is a feeling that runs through a lot of western North Carolina communities.
Dellene Holzschuh lives in an RV donated by Emergency RV, a nonprofit organization that provides RVs to people waiting for their homes to be rebuilt after natural disasters.
“I don’t have it the worst – some people I mean, they’ve lost their businesses. People have lost their lives,” said Holzschuh. “I got all my animals, and I’m still kicking. So you can’t really argue with it. You know, you just go step by step.”
FOX Weather’s Steve Bender is in hard-hit Swannanoa, North Carolina, talking to locals to find out what’s next for the community after Hurricane Helene.
As temperatures begin to drop for the season, residents told Bender that there are still people in need of a warm place to sleep.
Jenica Grooms owns a local auto body shop. But since Helene, she said she has shifted her focus to building temporary climate-controlled homes for people who are displaced.
“There has been a lack of temporary housing. There’s not a lot of places for people to go. Their hotel vouchers are running out. So our goal is to place these on people’s property.”
And while challenges will continue to persist in western North Carolina, Bender said people he spoke with are confident that they will be able to rebound despite all the challenges that remain.
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