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Three months ago, Hurricane Helen struck Western North CarolinaLeaving behind $53 billion in destruction. According to some estimates, 40% of housing was damaged. Countless roads, lanes and country lanes were demolished. But the real toll was human. More than a hundred people died, 103 to be exact, swept away by rivers of mud and debris. Many people are still missing, although the exact number is difficult to determine.
The fact that the Biden administration did less than it could have to mitigate the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Helen is accepted wisdom. And you know that's true when you hear uncomplaining North Carolinians praising the private efforts of church groups and charitable organizations like Samaritan's Purse, while remaining silent about whether the federal government has done enough. Unspoken criticism must be painful for Congress, but they are naturally deaf to such simple criticism.
I have followed this story closely. My family is from a small town called Spruce Pine, located fifty miles northeast of Asheville, perched on top of a mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's just one of dozens of communities in the area, but the cost of restoring this small town of 2,400 will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The largest cost, estimated at about $100 million, will be required to replace the city's water treatment plant, which was covered in a blanket of mud during the storm and cannot be restored.
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Ironically, the entire developed world depends on this small, close-knit city because the rare ultra-pure quartz that is essential for the manufacture of semiconductor chips, solar panels and fiber optic cables is mined here. Without spruce, much of modern life would be impossible.
My 89-year-old mother, Betty Jean, and my sister, Frankie, were living in Spruce Pine at the time of the storm. I warned my sister that a hurricane force storm was coming and that they should take precautions, but she completely ignored the warning as did almost everyone there. No one has ever seen a tornado breach the massive wall of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That is, until September 24, when Helen drenched the area with 20 inches of rain and battered it with extremely strong winds. I am lucky that my brother saved my sister and mother and their belongings were only slightly damaged.
My cousin, James, also a Spruce Pine resident, moved his family to a safer area in Raleigh as quickly as he could, then turned around, filled his truck with supplies and headed straight back to the carnage. Like many, he just wanted to help. Paved roads fell from the sides of the mountains, making travel almost impossible. There was no water and no cell service for days. When I finally reached out to James to find out how things were going, he said, “They're picking bodies out of trees.” I tried to imagine what it was like.
The emotional scars this loss has left for long-time residents are priceless. My mother, who moved into my brother's house, says she still feels deeply sad and like she's been “betrayed by someone she loves.” She misses her friends, Her churchAnd the view of the mountains from her balcony and the feeling of safety she felt there.
But my sister said it was the damage to the land itself that was most troubling. I was shocked to see hundreds of acres of forest cut down and clipped with a mud wall. I understand her reaction. Land is the ultimate measure of wealth in Western North Carolina, more than clothing or luxury cars. Everyone there wants an acre, or better yet, two, three or more acres.
I still remember riding shotgun with my grandfather on a narrow, winding mountain road years ago, his Jeep barely sticking to the berm on the steepest corners. His leading foot turned the entire adventure into a rollercoaster ride. I was too young to understand the possible consequences of falling from a jeep down a mountain, so I laughed. He slammed on the brakes, stopping at a beautiful lookout point, where he announced, “We own this land from here to those hills over there.” I looked at the view, stunning and still, just looking at the distant hills in the summer mist. I remember being flattered when I heard him say “we” had it. I never thought about becoming a landowner when I was a nine-year-old, but I was sure I wanted to start.
Our family roots in western North Carolina go back at least seven generations. My sister's research on Ancestry.com turned up a fact I never would have guessed: We settled the area after the Revolutionary War, land given to us as payment for military service.
These memories crowded into my mind as I watched our coverage of the storm's aftermath. Our Fox Weather reported on the storm, the damage, and efforts to rescue and rebuild those affected. Listening to our reporters say the names of the small towns I've known all my life — Swannanoa, Burnsville, Blowing Rock — was heartbreaking.
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But it's the Spruce Pine that I keep thinking about in particular Christmas time. Business owners, elected officials, friends and family continue to reach out to share the latest on recovery efforts there. David Niven is the owner of DT's Blue Ridge Java, a downtown anchor, which was demolished when the Toe River jumped its banks during a storm. He's praying that he and his wife, Tricia, will be able to reopen in May, but he has a long way to go.
His total losses are more than $600,000, and obtaining a large, low-cost loan seems impossible for him. The Small Business Administration has run out of loan funds. Six thousand applicants tried to get a few loans from the Chamber of Commerce. The winners were chosen by lottery. Nevin was not one of them. Meanwhile, the water plant has not been replaced, although temporary solutions have been found. The water has been deemed safe to drink, but many people continue to drink bottled water anyway.
“For western North Carolina to recover, it's going to take free money,” Nevin says.
Blue Ridge Java photographed at DT in Spruce Pine, NC after Hurricane Helen. The café is the anchor of the city centre.
State officials expected this, and on December 10, a delegation of elected state representatives went to Washington to request $25 billion in recovery and rebuilding funding. Although they hoped to get approvals for spending before Christmas, congressional representatives in the House of Representatives were focused on avoiding a government shutdown. The House package approved Friday funds the government through March 14 and also provides disaster aid to six states hit by Hurricane Helen. This is a start, but not enough to save North Carolina's deep needs.
As temperatures drop, reports continue of people in western North Carolina living in tents, though officials say the reports are inaccurate. However, housing is crucial. North Carolina State Representative Dudley Greene was one of the representatives who went to Washington to ask for money. “We've moved from the immediate need for food and water, and we've moved more towards housing. That's a big concern. A week before we hit six degrees a night,” he said. As always, it is the practical issues that make the need more urgent. Green says FEMA Hotel Voucher Program. This is very useful because there are few nearby hotels open, and the ones available are quite far from people with jobs in the area.
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But the question is: What will the next administration do? Vice President-elect J.D. Vance He visited Fairview, North Carolina, in early December (December 6), promising assistance. “We have not forgotten you,” he said.
We can only hope he keeps his promise and pray that this Christmas in 2025 will follow when the region gets the help it so desperately deserves.
