Communities in western North Carolina are grappling with unprecedented devastation as survivors recount harrowing escapes and face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.Â
How Did Nancy Berry's Life Wash Away in Hours?
Nancy Berry’s Boone, North Carolina, trailer was her haven for almost forty years, not only a place to live. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, the trailer had witnessed many happy and sad moments. Berry, now seventy-seven, lived with her family here, and her mother had died here. But in a few hours, Hurricane Helene destroyed all she had accumulated over decades. Berry is now sorting through the drenched ruins of her life, trying to save whatever little remains as the storm’s floodwaters recede.
“I have to guard my family’s legacy,” she remarked, carefully arranging relics on her sodden bed. Among them was her son’s death certificate from three years ago’s Covid-19 illness. Still, a lot of it disappears. Her lifeline that day was Berry’s great-niece, risking the river to save her. Berry struggled to raise her staff to safety as the water rose to three or four feet. Her great-niece showed there precisely on schedule. “They kept phoning me – thank God for the cell phones,” Berry said. “You never know, long ago, what would have happened.” The cries of her great-niece broke through the anarchy. “Come on, Aunt Nanny.” Leave. Get out, she screamed.
Berry hesitated, then finally gave in. She grabbed her pocketbook and turned it over to her great-niece, who carried it above her head and led Berry to safety. Berry stopped, shaking at the memories. She was strong, and she was pushing me, dragging me. That water was— “That was not a nice moment.”
How Did the Community Cope After Being Cut Off?
The mountainous western North Carolina region has endured storms over three hundred miles from the coast. But with its disastrous flooding, Hurricane Helene was unlike anything local citizens had ever seen. At least 180 persons have been verified dead; more than 600 still unidentified remain. Clean water is becoming rare while thousands need power.
Many citizens feel abandoned even though the government has sent 4,800 federal assistance workers and 6,000 National Guard troops to the area. According to Green Valley’s fire chief, Kennie McFee, local volunteers handled much of the rescue mission. “We spent roughly three days cut off from the outer world,” McFee remarked. Here, neighbors mainly were assisting one another.
Although Boone and Asheville suffered the most from the hurricane, the isolated towns hidden in the Appalachian Mountains are most in need. A North Carolina State University climate specialist underlined these rural communities’ difficulties.
“Mobile reception and Wi-Fi were patchy even before the storm,” the expert said. “Poverty and bad, rural roads have added to the difficulties people have faced getting out.”
For many, evacuation was just not a possibility. “A lot of times people say, ‘Well, why didn’t they leave?'” she said. “Well, how many nights at a hotel in a safer location? Perhaps you cannot afford a tank of gas. Maybe you know you cannot leave your family or your employment.
What Helped a Mountain Woman Endure the Aftermath?
One woman from Green Valley who declined to provide her identity discussed the fallout from the storm. Helene is still without power and no means of contact with the outside world five days after striking. One decades-old battery-powered antenna radio served as her only lifeline.
“If you’re raised in the mountains, you’ll cope,” she remarked.
A car drew up as she spoke, delivering long-awaited news of her family, whom she had not heard from since the storm passed. “They were all okay, another thank you, Lord,” she whispered, relief flooding her.
She said she had withstood numerous storms in the past, but none like Helene. For her, the destruction spoke more to a more profound lesson.
“People are starting to pay God some heed. Not only here but everywhere, he truly is drawing people’s attention. “But I truly think it’s just to let us know who’s in control.”
How Did Nicole Rojas Survive on the Mountain?
Just before Hurricane Helene arrived, 25-year-old Nicole Rojas moved to her lonely mountain house in Vilas, North Carolina. Having previously lived “off the grid” in Tennessee, Rojas bemoaned losing that self-sufficient way of life.
She searched Boone for supplies and stated, “I kind of wish I would have stuck to my lifestyle a little bit.” “I always carried food, showering water, and drinking water.”
Along with her roommates—a 54-year-old woman called Karen, her 74-year-old mother, and a family with young children—Rojas now finds weeks without power. Their rural location has a single, narrow, trash-covered route both in and out. They would still be imprisoned without the community’s group effort.
“The only reason I was even able to step out was from the gentlemen in the community taking out their tractors and chainsaws, moving all the trees,” Rojas added.
What Is the Long Road to Recovery Like?
On Friday, the storm struck Rojas at home. She had been alone. Sunday saw her and Karen walking into town after neighbors had spent all Saturday cleaning the road. After getting stung by an insect during the storm, Karen had a severe allergic response, yet she could return the necessary items to their house. Conversely, Rojas stayed in Boone to work for a nearby health store.
The emotional weight of the storm did not dawn on her until she was back at work. One client related a heartbreaking tale of having to pass a truck carrying the remains of people who had drowned.
She started to cry, Rojas remarked. And at that point, I broke down.
She was surrounded by too many tales of loss and damage. “You hear everyone’s horror stories about how, like, practically their entire house just slid down the mountain,” she said. “I feel as though I merely survived the apocalypse.”
How Are Communities Showing Resilience After the Storm?
With the scars of Hurricane Helene imprinted on the terrain and the lives of its people, Western North Carolina is now in the lengthy process of healing. Although communities are still dealing with the immediate aftermath—downed trees, blocked roads, and limited supplies—the resiliency of people who call them clear. Stories of survival and fortitude in the face of disaster provide evidence of the region’s continuing spirit as Nancy Berry, Nicole Rojas, and countless others start the complex rebuilding process. Many will find their route forward to be long and unknown. One Green Valley resident said, “You’ll cope if you’re raised in the mountains.”
