“Let’s get your house gutted and then you can decide what you are going to do.”
That line echoes through the Hurricane Helene ravaged mountains of Western North Carolina these days. Living in tents or trailers within eyesight of their former homes, families struggle to find a clear path back to normalcy seven weeks after the storm changed their lives forever.
Standing by a trailer provided by the Veteran’s Administration in front of what remains of his house, Scotty Swan of Old Fort explained, “When the rain started, I started moving my cars to higher ground. By the time I came back to move another, the water was already going into the house. Within a matter of 20 to 30 minutes, it was up to the ceiling in the house.”
Standing atop the roof of his house, Swan, his girlfriend and her son, along with his two dogs and two cats were finally rescued from the fast-moving water by a canoe rafter who deposited them at a nearby Hardee’s.
“I was in the Marine Corps for 12 years, so mentally I can adapt and get through it,” he said. “It is just tough having to see my girlfriend and her son placed in this situation.”
Swan’s story is not unique. Going from one mountain community to the next, similar stories of rushing water and daring rescues abound. But seven plus weeks after the falling rain, the sun does not shine quite as bright in those hollers.
Hurricane Helene hit at the start of the fall foliage tourist season where area businesses earn up to 50 percent of their annual income.
Small communities like Old Fort, Swannanoa, Black Mountain and Spruce Pine lay in limbo with the lack of clean water, plentiful food and businesses struggling to open. Even the tourist haven of Asheville continues to find a clear path forward with its water unfit to drink, its mighty breweries closed and artist scampering to find tourists.
Don’t count the mountaineers out. They are a tough breed and used to adversity.
Carol Groban, a board member of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa, has a long history of nonprofit involvement. After the waters of the Swannnanoa River receded she witnessed the heartbreaking scenes of destruction and loss, including treasured personal belongings scattered across city streets as forgotten debris.
“I’ve lived here for 26 years, and I’m on the board of Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa, which we call FANS. Through my involvement in that group and just knowing a lot of people in the community, I got involved in this kind of grassroots recovery effort that has bubbled up after the storm.”
Headquartered in the old Swannonoa United Methodist Church building, the ragtag group of volunteers has cleared away the pews to make way for tables, chairs, chalkboards and Starlink cables.
“It’s people coming together from all different groups, businesses, organizations, non-profits, aid groups and churches to work together to help coordinate what was already happening in Swannonoa,” she said. “People all throughout our community coming together in their neighborhoods, in their churches and in their local geographic areas. Helping each other to survive in the early days of the storm. As time went on, getting information to people about what resources were available to them in the community and bring together all the different groups that were working so we could collaborate and coordinate and maximize our ability to help.”
“Just regular people helping, from everywhere,” explained Angela M. Stone, another coordinator at Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa. “They came from every walk of life. Working together to help and save Western North Carolina. If it wasn’t for these people helping people, so so so many more people would have died from secondary issues of food insecurity, water, cold, injuries, oxygen needs and on and on.”
“The first few Sundays after the storm we just used our time in gathering together as a time to process, focus on what we did have.”
Rev. Brent Nidiffer
A few streets away from the church lies what remains of the home of Federico Guiterez. He and his wife were in Mexico during the flood, returning home to find his house eviscerated. With water levels reaching six feet inside and all belongings, including valuable tools, destroyed.
Guiterez, a well-known fixture in the community, was in shock. But even more shocking was the miraculous survival of his two dogs, Sales and Nena, who found refuge on top of a shed during the storm. Stories like his are retold day after day, capturing the emotional weight of disaster recovery and the profound impact on the affected residents.
An hour north of Swannonoa the hamlet of Spruce Pine sits on the banks of the North Toe River. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains it is known for hiking, local artists and as America’s sole source of high-purity quartz used in the production of semiconductors and solar panels. Helene dumped more than two feet of rain on the town, destroying roads, shops and cutting power and water, as well as disrupting the global supply chain for microchips.
The Rev. Brent Nidiffer, pastor at Pine Grove United Methodist Church, was traveling home from some R&R on the day of the storm. With shut roads and downed communications, he finally arrived on Sunday to witness the heartbreak of widespread destruction. His church sustained only minor water damage but the congregation faced significant challenges. Many members experienced flooded homes, lack of power, food and water. He also mourned five fatalities in his rural community.
“It was just overwhelming that the church had managed to stand,” he said, sitting in one of the pews of his church. “Initially it felt like the role of the church was to be a place for folks to process what they had experienced. The first few Sundays after the storm we just used our time in gathering together as a time to process, focus on what we did have. We offered support to one another physically and emotionally, spending deep times in prayer and lament.
“From that point on, we wanted to be a place of refuge for the community and provide resourcing for folks who had losses. We began feeding our community hot meals because there were no restaurants. The grocery stores within the immediate area were unavailable. They had been destroyed and are still closed even to this point and doesn’t look like they’ll open until near the end of the year.”
“To see the outpouring of the faith community’s support has really strengthened my faith. There were times early on that it was my anxiety really affected me and I shared that with my congregation and they gathered around me one Sunday just to hold me in their prayers and to lift me up.”
“Churches remain an essential resource in North Carolina’s rural communities,” explained Heather Kilbourne, director of Faith in Rural Communities at the NC Rural Center. “In times of crisis, such as Hurricane Helene, they know their communities well and are seen as a trusted neighbor. They act as conduit of connections between the local needs and national resources to help.”
Nidiffer had nothing but amazement on how the community has rallied around one another.
“Neighbors have reached out to neighbors in the midst of hurt and loss. They continued to reach out,” he said. “It has been astounding to see the influx of folks from all across the United States who have come here. People from as far away as Joplin, Missouri pulled into our parking lot here at the church offering help, bringing supplies and assistance. Folks who are a part of the United Methodist Church connection, filling in, bringing in food on a regular basis to help us meet the needs of our neighbors and our community. It’s just encouraging and hopefully to see that happen.”