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In mountainous North Carolina, residents are the first responders after Hurricane Helene

During 12 years as a National Guard member, Tom Ford worked on relief missions to hurricane-hit communities. But he says he’s never seen anything as bad as the impact of Hurricane Helene on his rural Appalachian community here in western North Carolina.

After the storm, Mr. Ford joined his neighbors in clearing debris from back roads, using chain saws and trucks. Almost everyone here can share stories of pitching in, including ferrying food to stranded neighbors. 

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Locals in western North Carolina, where rescue efforts are impeded by terrain and a thinly dispersed population, are assisting each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – and preparing for years of recovery.

Across this region, rescuers are still searching for missing people, and at least 125 are dead across the six states that took the brunt of the hurricane. Residents who made it through the storm have grown frustrated as they wait for power, water, cell services, and food, even as state and federal officials pour supplies into affected areas.

Officials in Asheville, the largest population center in the region, have compared the city’s destruction to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005. While the physical and human toll here is likely to be lower, the mountainous terrain and dispersed population are challenging for responders and could slow the transition to a recovery phase, after services are restored. 

“It’s going to take years,” says Mr. Ford, noting that Katrina’s impact is still apparent.

During 12 years as a National Guard member in New York, Tom Ford worked on relief missions to hurricane-hit communities, including when Sandy pummeled the New York area in 2012. 

But he’s never seen anything as bad as the impact of Hurricane Helene on his rural Appalachian community here in western North Carolina.

On Monday, Mr. Ford stood in an empty parking lot in Hendersonville, the county seat, where he came to meet his father-in-law, Matt Karkos. Mr. Karkos had no power or water at his house, on which a tree had fallen, and many roads were impassable. He had decided to drive to South Carolina to stay with his brother. Mr. Ford had brought a can of gas from his generator supply to top off the tank. 

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Locals in western North Carolina, where rescue efforts are impeded by terrain and a thinly dispersed population, are assisting each other in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – and preparing for years of recovery.

“You saved us,” Mr. Karkos told him. “I didn’t know if we were going to make it.”

Across this region, rescuers are still searching for missing people, and at least 125 are dead across the six states that took the brunt of the hurricane. Residents who made it through the storm have grown frustrated as they wait for power, water, cell services, and food, even as state and federal officials pour supplies into affected areas, including Asheville, the largest population center in the region.

Officials in Asheville, where a river burst its banks and inundated low-lying neighborhoods, have compared the city’s destruction to Hurricane Katrina, which submerged much of New Orleans in 2005.

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