Current:Home > My'Unless you've been through it, you can't understand': Helene recovery continues in NC -WealthDrive Solutions
'Unless you've been through it, you can't understand': Helene recovery continues in NC
View
Date:2025-04-18 19:24:02
More than a month after Hurricane Helene devastated regions in the southeastern United States, some communities in western North Carolina's mountain towns and villages are still without water, power, infrastructure and a regular school schedule.
While these necessities are the focus of restoration efforts, the trauma associated with loss, grief and harrowing experiences of survival could affect residents for years to come.
"I think a lot of us are shifting out of our immediate fight-flight-freeze at this moment," says Rachael Chatham, a licensed clinical mental health counselor who's been practicing in Asheville, North Carolina, for more than 10 years. "It can be incredibly challenging, especially if you have a belief system that says, 'I endure' or 'I am strong, therefore, I can do this alone' or 'I don't need anyone.'"
In the heart of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Chatham and others say people grow up learning to be self-reliant, a trait that has helped communities trying to rebuild after the natural disaster. However, the emotional affects associated with recovery can require different tools.
WATCH how this historic town is trying to rebuild after being nearly wiped out by the storm
Allison Jennings and her husband, Chris, run a nonprofit organization called Community Kitchen, which serves food year-round to people in need. Their building flooded in the storm, and after experiencing other major floods in the past, they say fear sets in each time it rains heavily.
"I've stood out there in the rain with a tape measure, measuring how close the river is to coming out the storm drain," said Chris. "So there was a physical toll, an emotional toll. Unless you've been through it, you can't understand."
USA TODAY, alongside the Asheville Citizen Times, has been spending time in several North Carolina communities to understand how people are coping mentally, physically and emotionally since the once-in-a-thousand-years storm on Sept. 27 ravaged homes, businesses, roadways and livelihoods.
"You think you're doing good, you're buying a house, you're doing all these things right, and something like this happens in a community that you don't expect flooding," said John Zara, standing next to heaps of rotten wood and destroyed items outside his house in Swannanoa.
"On top of losing your home and your belongings, you’ve also lost your ability to provide income. The bill collectors are still knocking. The mortgage company still wants their money. So it's one thing after the other. It’s a lot to think about and a lot to take on all at once."
Zara says he, along with his wife, Stephanie, and two children, aged 7 and 2, managed to escape their flooded house when water levels nearly reached the attic. Stephanie says she climbed a tree, yelled for help and was rescued with her kids by neighbors with kayaks.
"To be able to talk about it, I think it gives us an opportunity to heal together as a community in a way that just going back to shoveling some mud doesn't always provide for," said Chatham. "We tend to stuff things down and repress them."
WATCH how this family of four escaped rapid flooding in their home during the storm
Josh Copus, an artist and business owner in the historic town of Marshall, North Carolina, says he felt isolated and gutted when he began cleaning up in the aftermath of the massive flooding. But then, something unexpected happened. People he didn't even know offered to shovel mud for hours upon hours from his boutique hotel. He calls it "hope in humanity."
"That's what it's given me, is personal strength to get through this," said Copus, as he carried out debris from his building in a wheelbarrow while wearing a construction mask. "We're going to do it together."
From mules delivering life-saving medication and supplies in hard-to-reach areas to homegrown chefs delivering hot meals to the hungry, there's no need to look for the helpers. No matter which community we visited, the helpers were everywhere.
"We're kind of just, doing what chefs do, and utilizing the product that we have in front of us," said Ashleigh Shanti, owner of south Asheville's Good Hot Fish. The restaurant, like so many others, is temporarily closed because the city has no potable water. Shanti and other local chefs are working together to prepare large amounts of donated food for those who need a free, hot meal.
"I feel like my task is to feed people," says Shanti, a local celebrity after being a contestant in 2022 on the reality cooking series, Top Chef. "This is just what comes naturally."
WATCH the full documentary, Healing After Helene: North Carolina Rebuilds, at the top of the page.
veryGood! (98)
Related
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Georgia’s governor and others pile into state court race where challenger has focused on abortion
- Roaring Kitty trader returns, causing GameStop shares to jump more than 70%
- Prisoner sentenced to 4 years for threatening to kill Kamala Harris, Obama, DeSantis
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Fed’s Powell downplays potential for a rate hike despite higher price pressures
- Lions make Jared Goff NFL's second highest-paid player with massive extension, per reports
- Lions make Jared Goff NFL's second highest-paid player with massive extension, per reports
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Fed’s Powell downplays potential for a rate hike despite higher price pressures
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Westminster dog show has its first mixed-breed agility winner, and her name is Nimble
- Boat that fatally struck a 15-year-old girl in Florida has been found, officials say
- What we know about 2024 NFL schedule ahead of Wednesday's release
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Ohio police fatally shoot Amazon warehouse guard who tried to kill supervisor, authorities say
- Wait, that's my new car insurance quote? Here's how to save on auto insurance
- 15-year-old girl killed in hit-and-run boat crash in Florida: 'She brought so much joy'
Recommendation
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Labor laws largely exclude nannies. Some are banding together to protect themselves
2 Americans among those arrested at Georgia protest against controversial foreign agents law
North Carolina bill to curb mask-wearing in protests could make it illegal for medical reasons too
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Putin replaces long-time defense minister Sergei Shoigu as Ukraine war heats up in its 3rd year
Air Force instructor pilot killed when ejection seat activated on the ground
Comcast to offer Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+ bundle: What to know about streaming bundles