Hurricane Helene Anniversary

As we at NC VOAD (North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, we pause to reflect on all that has taken place since so many lives were changed overnight. On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene ravaged 39 counties in Western North Carolina, taking lives and destroying homes and towns with raging rivers, landslides, and downed trees. In the days after the storm, the nation saw the unimaginable destruction Helene brought to the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Yet from this tragedy, we witnessed the resilience of our neighbors in impacted communities, the dedication of disaster response networks across North Carolina, and the support of partners nationwide. The VOAD movement is built on volunteers, and once again, volunteers stood at the heart of response and recovery efforts. There are countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors and of individuals traveling from across the country to distribute supplies, muck out homes, and begin the long repair and rebuilding process.
In the early days, VOAD partners worked tirelessly to provide life-sustaining services, search and rescue, temporary shelter, essential supplies such as food and water, and hot meals. These efforts not only met immediate needs but also offered comfort in a time of great uncertainty. Communities rallied together in numerous ways to care for families.
Responding to Hurricane Helene posed unique challenges. More than 2,000 landslides across Western North Carolina created major obstacles for organizations and communities. Repairs to damaged private bridges and roads quickly became essential to reach people trapped in their homes, something unprecedented in North Carolina disaster response efforts.
While response often makes the headlines, recovery is the longer, quieter work that follows. Over the past year, both long-standing NC VOAD members and newly formed groups have walked alongside survivors, helping them navigate FEMA assistance, access state programs, and connect with a growing network of nonprofit resources.
As this vital work continues, long-term resources will be essential to sustain recovery efforts. The VOAD movement is built on volunteers, yet volunteerism alone cannot meet the immense challenges left in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Every nonprofit active in disaster recovery, whether large or small, national or local, requires direct support to provide meaningful assistance to survivors and to maintain the staff necessary to coordinate and sustain volunteer efforts.
Experience has shown us that recovery from large-scale disasters often takes more than a decade. Too often, funding and resources dissipate long before communities are fully restored, leaving survivors without the support they need to complete their recovery. Sustained investment is critical if we are to avoid repeating this cycle of unfinished recovery.
We are deeply grateful for the federal and state resources already allocated and remain hopeful that further support will be released to aid both individual survivors and the disaster non-profits serving them. The needs across our communities are still profound, and it is our collective hope that this support continues until every eligible survivor is safely returned home. These communities must not be forgotten as we rebuild together: NC Strong.