Melinda has lived on the same street in her Tennessee neighborhood since she was four years old. As Hurricane Helene approached her home in September 2024, she and her partner Jeremiah decided to leave and weather the storm at his parents’ house. He left to go to Walmart and was gone for three hours, caught in flooding and subsequent traffic caused by the storm.

The most harrowing memory Melinda has of the day of the storm was when reports went through the parents’ neighborhood that an elderly neighbor who lived alone was trapped in his home by flood water. While the neighbor technically lived across the street, in this area, that meant across a river and out of reach. Knowing their neighbors were in danger and being unable to reach them - that was “the awfulest part.”

A tree fell on the parents’ barn while they were staying there, but otherwise their property survived unscathed. Their own home wasn’t so lucky. “We didn’t know the house got destroyed til’ we came back,” Melinda said.

When they returned home, the damage they found was devastating. They went through three chainsaws trying to clear the debris from their property, including a large bay laurel tree that crashed through their trailer. Since Helene, they “have put every penny into it trying to repair it, emptying our savings.”

After the Storm

It was almost one year later when they got connected with the American Red Cross, through their pastor. Pastor Travis of Grace Baptist reached out to the Red Cross on Melinda’s behalf. She says she doesn’t know what she’d do without his help advocating for her needs.

Appalachian Service Project (a Red Cross grant recipient) was operating out of the church at the time as well and has been helping with home repairs in the community.

She received an additional round of financial assistance not long after and used a good amount of it to buy a car after Jeremiah’s car was destroyed by a falling tree.

“It’s one thing after another,” Melinda said of the slow, difficult recovery process. She lost all her housecleaning jobs because she lacked a vehicle. Family members, including herself, began falling ill.

“I’m trying…” she said. But the challenges continue to pile up. “One thing happens, something worse happens.”

The assistance from the American Red Cross, and the ease of accessing it, was a bright spot. She accessed the funds through Walmart. “I can’t believe it was that easy,” Melinda said. “I appreciate you guys so very much.”

She shared photos of her four dogs (Benji, Lucy, Sugar and Chase), which she kennels on the property, another source of joy in an otherwise difficult time.

Hurricane Helene may be over, but for many families, recovery is still a daily journey. The American Red Cross continues to support those impacted—long after the storm—because rebuilding lives takes time, compassion and a commitment to stand with communities for the long haul.