Two years after Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in September 2024, thousands of residents continue to seek stable housing. The storm, described as the state's deadliest and most destructive in history, left widespread damage, and recovery efforts remain ongoing for many affected communities. Nonprofits have stepped in to provide critical assistance, addressing needs that government programs have been slow to meet.
Among those still recovering are Brian and Terry Meaghar, whose retirement home along the Broad River in Polk and Rutherford counties was catastrophically damaged by Helene. The storm ripped away half of their home, just six days after they received the keys to their new build. The couple, who first saw images of their destroyed property on national news, are currently living in temporary housing while a nonprofit, Spokes of Hope, works to complete a largely gifted home for them in nearby Polk County. The Meaghars expressed gratitude, stating they are moving on.
Spokes of Hope, a faith-based disaster response nonprofit founded by Shane Zoccole after Hurricane Florence in 2018, has been active in western North Carolina since weeks after Helene. Operating from warehouses in Henderson County, Zoccole's team has repaired more than 250 homes and rebuilt several others throughout the Hickory Nut Gorge over the past two years. Their efforts have been supported by more than 5,000 volunteers, including the Amish-run Great Needs Ministry from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Brian Meaghar highlighted the nonprofit's significant impact on the town's recovery.
The nonprofit runs almost entirely on donated funds and materials. Spokes of Hope received a $300,000 grant from Dogwood Health Trust, a western North Carolina private foundation, but Zoccole clarified that no government funds have yet reached their organization. A state emergency management spokesperson confirmed that Spokes of Hope applied for the Volunteer Organization Recovery Fund Grant (VORG) Program during the first two rounds of funding but was not selected due to far more requests than available funding. In both rounds, North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) was able to fund only about 40-42% of the requested amounts. A third round of VORG funding is now open, and NCEM expressed hope that Spokes of Hope would apply again, with spokesperson Justin Graney acknowledging the organization's great work in assisting survivors.
Meanwhile, the state's federally-funded Renew NC program, established to repair and rebuild homes after Helene, has completed 159 homes in two years. However, more than 2,000 active applications are still in progress, with the majority not yet reaching the construction stage, according to state data. Additionally, nearly 6,000 applications have been deemed ineligible or inactive on the state's dashboard, many reportedly due to missing documentation.
Matt Calabria, who leads the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), acknowledged that thousands of homes and homeowners who need help still exist. Calabria stated that navigating a federal system presents a constant struggle to accelerate efforts, noting that it is slow by design. He explained that federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development typically requires at least a year for action plan requirements, a process that was completed months after Helene in North Carolina. Separately, GROW NC has directed state funds to other nonprofits, which have rebuilt or repaired more than 1,100 homes. Calabria emphasized a focus on getting the work done effectively, regardless of who receives credit.
The total federal funds allocated for Helene recovery in North Carolina stand at $9.8 billion, representing only 16% of the estimated $60 billion disaster cost. Governor Josh Stein has requested an additional $10 billion, some of which could support more home builds within the Renew NC program. Advocacy for additional federal funds has been a bipartisan effort among the state’s legislative and Congressional delegations. Senator Ted Budd has led these efforts at the Congressional level, advocating before the Senate Appropriations Committee, and he affirmed his role as an advocate for Western North Carolina's full restoration, stating that a repeated message he hears is, "Please don’t forget about us."
