Story told by: Nick Gibson 

Linda Oliphant lives in Edgefield, South Carolina, and never imagined she would face a major hurricane tearing through her town. 

“Hurricane Helene came through here. It was a very scary experience,” said Linda. “I heard the strong winds I never thought I would experience anything like that.” 

Linda had major damage to her roof and bathroom caused by Hurricane Helene. In September 2024, the storm made landfall, leaving lasting impacts to the Southeast including the Carolinas. 

“I don’t think I would ever forget that day,” said Linda. “I could remember the ceiling coming down in my bathroom. It’s a wall between my bedroom and bathroom that shook loose.” 

Since then, the American Red Cross has used every available tool to help those affected by the storm. 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Red Cross has launched long-term recovery operations for those impacted to assist vulnerable individuals, households, and communities. 

In partnership with the SC Office of Resilience, the Red Cross of South Carolina and Habitat for Humanity South Carolina are helping repair 33 homes impacted by Helene in six South Carolina counties. One of those homes is Linda’s. 

Robbie Sofaly, director of long-term recovery for Hurricane Helene with the American Red Cross, says a storm like Helene can call for assistance from different community partners to help residents.  

He adds that they recognized counties like Edgefield could potentially be overlooked when it came to recovery funding. 

“Here in Edgefield County was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene,” said Robbie. “When we have these opportunities, we have grant programs. Habitat for Humanity South Carolina is a trusted and known partner that’s been active in South Carolina for many years.”  

During Helene, Linda chose to stay in her home until the hurricane passed. She said she never thought the storm would’ve done so much damage. 

“Thank God for a program like this to help,” said Linda. “If I had to do this all by myself, I don’t know if I would’ve gotten any of this done. My finances aren’t that good, when you’re on a fixed income, it’s just hard to make ends meet.” 

Nancy Lee, Executive Director with Habitat for Humanity South Carolina, has been with the organization since 2019. 

She adds that Hurricane Helene affected everyone, and the organization couldn’t watch those with housing needs to suffer. 

“It impacted everybody,” said Nancy. “We couldn’t stand by and watch all of these households that didn’t have access to recovery elsewhere, that’s where we really wanted to focus.”