Posts Tagged ‘Hurricane Helene’
‘First Line of Defense’
During Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, rural fire departments and other first responder hubs played critical roles in keeping their communities safe, even without power and cut off from outside support for days or weeks after the storm. Two years later, plenty of work remains to ensure these hubs have the resources they need to operate day to day and be ready when emergencies or natural disasters strike.
Read MoreThe Rocky Road — and Bridge — to Recovery
Hurricane Helene is estimated to have damaged nearly 7,000 private roads and bridges in Western North Carolina. Two years later, many restoration projects are complete, but the journey hasn’t been easy — and isn’t over for others.
Read MoreThe Washout and Rebuild
For nearly two years, residents of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have had to make do without a hospital after Hurricane Helene destroyed the rural hospital. Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, broke ground on a new location — in another floodplain — in August 2026.
Read MoreBuilding Community Resilience Hubs in Appalachia
Many community resilience hub projects are underway around the region. Here are just a few in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Read MoreReady for the Next Big Storm? A Practical Guide to Household Preparedness
Follow these simple tips to make your home safer and more resilient in the face of natural disasters or emergencies.
Read More‘The Speed of These Processes is Not Survivable’
A year and a half after Hurricane Helene, many survivors are still struggling to secure stable housing because of delayed federal funding, financial challenges and bureaucratic red tape.
Read MoreRebuilding Roads and Rethinking Rivers
After Helene, communities must grapple with how to balance repairing infrastructure, preserving and repairing the structure of the Pigeon and Rocky Broad rivers, and protecting aquatic life.
Read MoreRiver Cleanup of Helene Debris Continues
As the region continues to recover after Hurricane Helene, a look at cleanup efforts in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina reveals lessons about how to improve the cleanup of public waterways after future floods.
Read MoreHurricane Helene recovery and resilience updates for WNC
Fourteen months after Hurricane Helene devastated our region, residents, state agencies, local governments and community organizations are still working to provide recovery assistance to communities that need support rebuilding and restoring livelihoods after the storm.
Read MoreNavigating Long-Term Hurricane Helene Recovery: A Day-in-the-Life of a Disaster Case Manager in Cocke County, Tennessee
Chrissy Miller is a disaster case manager in Cocke County, Tennessee, who helps survivors of Hurricane Helene access resources, fulfill unmet needs, develop recovery plans and try to make sense of difficult situations. For Miller, who was also impacted by the storm, it’s hard to rein in the scope of her work.
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