Hurricane Helene’s Impact on North Carolina

A Year of Recovery and Struggle

When 12-year-old Natalie Briggs visited the ruins of her home after Hurricane Helene, she had to tightrope across a wooden beam to reach what was once her bedroom. Knots of electrical wires were draped inside the skeleton of the house. Months after the storm, light filtered through breaks in the tarps over the windows. “All I could think of was, ‘This isn’t my house,’” said Natalie, who had been staying in her grandparents’ basement.

The Devastating Effects on Students

Thousands of students across western North Carolina lost their homes a year ago when Helene hit with some of the most vicious floods, landslides and wind ever seen in the state’s Appalachian region, once considered a “climate haven.” Across the state, more than 2,500 students were identified as homeless as a direct result of Helene, according to state data obtained by The Associated Press. At school, Natalie sometimes had panic attacks when she thought of her ruined home in Swannanoa. “There were some points where I just didn’t want people to talk to me about the house — or just, like, talk to me at all,” Natalie said.

The Challenge of Recovery

While storm debris has been mostly cleared away, the impact of the displacement lingers for the region’s children. Schools reopened long before many students returned to their homes, and their learning and well-being have yet to recover. The phenomenon is increasingly common as natural disasters disrupt U.S. communities more frequently and with more ferocity. The Associated Press is collaborating with Blue Ridge Public Radio, Honolulu Civil Beat, CalMatters and Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico to examine how school communities are recovering from the disruption of natural disasters.

Finding Stable Housing

A Difficult Task

After Helene flooded her rental home in Black Mountain, Bonnie Christine Goggins-Jones and her two teenage grandchildren had to leave behind nearly all their belongings. “They lost their bed, clothes, shoes, their book bag,” she said. The family lived in a motel, a leaky donated camper and another camper before moving into a new apartment in June. Goggins-Jones, a school bus aide at Asheville City Schools, struggled to heat the camper during winter. Her grandchildren kept going to school, but it wasn’t top of mind.

The Ongoing Struggle

The area around Asheville, western North Carolina’s largest city, still has a significant housing shortage a year after the storm. Piles of debris sit in front of homes in Swannanoa, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, after damage from Hurricane Helene. The family of America Sanchez Chavez, 11, had to split up to find housing. Helene left their trailer home in Swannanoa uninhabitable, and money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency wasn’t enough to cover the renovations. America and some relatives went to stay at her grandmother’s apartment, while her older brother lived at a friend’s house. Eventually, America moved with her mother to a room at a Black Mountain hotel where she works.

Displaced Students Spread Across North Carolina

After natural disasters, it’s common to see a surge in students living in unstable, temporary arrangements, such as sleeping on a couch, staying in a shelter, or doubling up with another family, according to research from UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools. Those arrangements qualify students as homeless under federal law. In Puerto Rico, more than 6,700 students were identified as homeless in Hurricane Maria’s aftermath during the 2017-2018 school year, the study found. Hawaii saw a 59% increase in its homeless student population following the 2023 Maui wildfires. In Helene’s aftermath, student homelessness spiked in several hard-hit counties, according to AP’s analysis of data from the North Carolina Homeless Education Program.

The Lasting Impact of Housing Instability

Gwendolyn Bode, a prelaw student at Appalachian State University, had to leave her mud-wrecked apartment complex after Helene. Told she couldn’t get campus housing, she found an Airbnb where she could stay at until her FEMA housing application went through, and then she moved into a hotel. She felt like she was drowning as she tried to keep up with her classes and a part-time job. “I can’t tell you what I learned,” Bode said. “I can’t even tell you when I went to class, because (mentally) I wasn’t there.” She found more stability after moving into an apartment for the spring semester. For Natalie Briggs, now 13, the grief of losing almost everything, coupled with the tight quarters in her grandparents’ basement, sometimes got to her — and to her mother, Liz Barker. Barker said it felt like a “time with no rules” because there was so much to deal with on top of her job as a health care worker.

Conclusion

Hurricane Helene’s impact on North Carolina has been devastating, with thousands of students losing their homes and struggling to recover. The storm has highlighted the need for more support and resources for families and students affected by natural disasters. As the state continues to rebuild and recover, it is essential to prioritize the well-being and education of its most vulnerable citizens.

FAQs

Q: How many students were identified as homeless after Hurricane Helene?

A: More than 2,500 students were identified as homeless as a direct result of Helene, according to state data obtained by The Associated Press.

Q: What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act?

A: The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act provides federal funding for services such as transporting homeless students to their usual school buildings and providing tutoring.

Q: How has Hurricane Helene affected the education of students in North Carolina?

A: The storm has caused significant disruptions to the education of students in North Carolina, with many students missing school due to homelessness and housing instability.

Q: What can be done to support students and families affected by natural disasters?

A: Providing more resources and support for families and students affected by natural disasters, such as housing assistance, counseling, and educational support, can help mitigate the impact of these events.

By MAKIYA SEMINERA of The Associated Press and LAURA HACKETT and JOSE SANDOVAL of Blue Ridge Public Radio

Nicole Schoychid, left, and Rebekah Canu, co-founders of Wildwood Agile Leaning Center, embrace inside the schoolhouse, which was damaged by flooding in Hurricane Helene, as they are surrounded by debris and mud, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Boone, N.C. The school had to compete against many other organizations and businesses vying for their own space in Boone after Helene damaged the town, creating a “bottleneck” from demand, Schoychid says. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Terri Dolan, right, talks with her son, Fisher, after picking him up from school, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Swannanoa, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Gwendolyn Bode looks at the hotel room where she is temporarily living in Boone, N.C., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, after being displaced from her apartment that was damaged during Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Originally Published: September 18, 2025 at 12:33 PM EDT