Two years after Helene, many Western North Carolina families are still rebuilding their homes and their lives.

Community members and local nonprofits gathered Sunday at Edneyville Elementary School in Henderson County to remember what was lost and remind survivors that support is still available.

“I remember when things felt so unsafe. I remember when life changed so quickly,” one speaker said during the event.

For Melissa Cribb and her husband, Helene brought more than four feet of water into their Fletcher home.

“Totally destroyed everything in the house,” Cribb said.

Sandra Little said floodwaters rose so quickly that her family had little time to react.

“The water came so fast, we didn’t really have a chance to save anything except for our lives,” Little said.

United Way and the Disaster Recovery Partnership hosted the remembrance event, bringing together recovery resources, local organizations and a place for people to grieve. Attendees were also invited to share their experiences through a community art project.

“May we remember the lives that were lost, the homes and places that were changed,” one speaker said.

Kat Carlton, executive director of Henderson County United Way, said the goal is to ensure the community knows help remains available.

“The most important thing is that people know that there is help out there,” Carlton said.

Cribb said United Way helped her family rebuild by providing appliances, cabinetry and other essentials needed to make their house feel like home again.

Little, a United Way recipient, encouraged neighbors who were displaced or forced to leave their homes not to lose hope.

“There is help out here. Don’t give up,” Little said.

Little said the recovery process has shown her the strength of the community.

“Community, they stuck together, and it was just a blessing to have them,” Little said.

Organizers acknowledged that recovery can bring resilience and gratitude, while also leaving people exhausted and grieving.

The message from Sunday’s event: no one has to recover alone.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS.