Additional Financial Assistance for Western North Carolina Residents after Helene’s Devastation

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Strange scenes were left in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The Broad River in Chimney Rock, North Carolina washed away one home’s front yard, leaving it perched precariously on a large boulder, exposed by the raging floodwaters. The Red Cross is in Chimney Rock and other affected communities months after the storm, providing additional financial assistance to residents who continue to face challenges to their recovery. Red Cross photo by Jillian Anderson

Car over on its side surrounded by flood debris

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Wrecked cars and other debris remain strewn along the Broad River in Bat Cave, North Carolina, remnants of the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene. The river flooded its banks, sweeping away homes, cars, trees, and other debris. Months later, the Red Cross is on the ground providing financial assistance to affected areas as they continue their recovery. Red Cross photo by Jillian Anderson

wooden railroad tracks hang in the air with the ground underneath washed away in a flood.

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Railroad tracks hang over open air after the Broad affected communities months after the storm, providing additional financial assistance to residents who continue to face challenges to their recovery. Red Cross photo by Jillian Anderson

Two women, one in black, one in red, sitting at a desk.

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Sarah Bracken (at right) with Red Cross caseworker Cathy Sharpe. Sarah and family are living in a camper until repairs are completed on their home after Hurricane Helene. “I’m a mountain girl from North Carolina,” she says. “I’d never seen anything like this.” The financial assistance she received from the Red Cross will help with repairs to the camper, and ultimately, to replace items in the home. Red Cross photo by Jillian Anderson

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Melissa Mcabe (at left) with Red Cross caseworker Anne Piantka-Guymon. She and her family received financial help from the Red Cross. The family home flooded during Helene. “I’m so thankful for the selfless and consistent support of the American Red Cross,” she said. “They tracked us down to give us money which has been helpful to offset our living expenses.” Red Cross photo by Jillian Robertson

Young woman in winter clothing and a Red Cross vest stands on a bridge.

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Red Crosser Jillian Robertson stands on a temporary bridge built over a storm-swollen river in Bat Cave, NC. Helene’s devastation is still evident in communities like this with roads closed or completely washed away. Large expanses of mud, sand and downed trees show the brutal course the river carved through these towns.

March 10, 2025

“When our back is up against the wall, we fight.”

This is how Sarah Bracken describes her community in Western North Carolina, where she has lived since she was 18, even in the face of the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

The day of the storm, flooding in her yard quickly turned into murky water bubbling up out of the shower. She moved her family’s scrapbooks up to the attic. By then, she said, “Water was billowing into the kitchen. It was kinda scary.” They called 9-1-1, but found their cell service was out. Her neighborhood had an emergency exit route, but they found it blocked by a stalled car. She waded in the water, walking in front of the truck and feeling for the road with her feet, as her husband followed with the truck. Their concern was driving off the road and getting stuck in the mud as the debris-filled floodwater made it impossible to see. “Thank god he’s a country boy,” she joked, of her husband. The jacked truck he loves made it possible for them to drive out safely, above the water.

The family has been living in a camper in the front yard, eagerly awaiting repairs to be completed to their home so they can move back in. The hurricane was nothing like she or her neighbors had ever experienced. “I’m a mountain girl from North Carolina,” she says. “I’d never seen anything like this.” The financial assistance she received from the Red Cross will help with repairs to the camper, which is leaking, and ultimately, to replace items in the home.

Since launching in North Carolina, as well as Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, the Red Cross Long-Term Recovery team has disbursed $11.8M in direct financial assistance to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Helene and Milton. More than 12,700 people, with stories just like Bracken’s, have received this assistance to support their ongoing recovery.

Six months have passed since Helene made landfall, yet many North Carolina communities like Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure appear stopped in time. Traffic cones and road closure signs block access to asphalt that is crumbling into the river or that has washed away entirely. Railroad ties hang over empty air – the earth beneath them long gone. Large expanses of mud, sand and downed trees show the brutal course the river carved through these communities, while the river itself returned to a seemingly harmless trickle, belying its fearsome strength and frightening power.

The Mayor of Chimney Rock asked, poignantly, that we “don’t forget this community.” While others have moved on, his small town is still struggling to recover and rebuild. Previously a tourist hub with restaurants and other businesses lining a small main street, the village very nearly washed away. Many business owners lived above or on the property of their businesses, which meant Helene’s destructive path wiped out both home and livelihood in one sweep.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Red Cross was able to make an additional round of financial assistance available to those who still face obstacles to their recovery, giving them the dignity and autonomy to use it how they see fit to meet their unique needs.

Some described replacing lost medications, while others used it to make home repairs. Others described running through savings, spending down what would have gone to a hard-earned retirement, to afford immediate needs like payments on a rental home.

Melissa McCabe was one such case. “So much has happened,” she said, since the storm hit. They have been paying for temporary housing themselves after their home was destroyed. In addition, they are caring for their family of six and multiple pets, running through their retirement savings to keep everyone afloat. “I’m so thankful for the selfless and consistent support of the American Red Cross... they quite literally tracked us down by phone, text and email to give us money which has been helpful to offset our living expenses.” The financial assistance she received from the Red Cross will help tide them over until they are slated to move back into their home in September.

Red Cross financial assistance is just one piece of the puzzle. And this community, and all the communities affected by Hurricane Helene, have a long road ahead to recovery. Volunteer caseworkers who supported this difficult operation often shared a hug, a story, or even tears with the families who came seeking assistance.

One Red Cross volunteer, Natalie Whitmer, had a special connection to the affected families – years ago, she herself lost her home to a hurricane. “It meant everything,” she said, of being able to provide assistance to people going through what she had gone through. “I think the biggest thing was to watch some of that stress and worry come up off of [the families]. It was beautiful to see.”

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.