Millions of pounds of debris have been removed from western North Carolina's rivers in the nearly two years since Helene, but cleanup crews say the work is far from over.

On Monday, Aug. 3, MountainTrue led an effort to remove four vehicles and a motorcycle from the Hungry River in Henderson County, marking another milestone in the region's long recovery from the storm.

"We're not only just pulling out debris, we're pulling out people's livelihoods," Erica Shanks, Green Riverkeeper with MountainTrue, said.

The twisted metal sitting in the Hungry River tells a story that many families in western North Carolina are still living.

Before equipment could begin the recovery, crews spent weeks planning how to safely access the remote site while protecting the river.

"We were able to then get UTVs, and now get an excavator down that way, not only to scout beforehand to make sure that we wanted to tackle this project in this way, but also to gather more information on how to safely remove these cars from the river," Shanks said.

Crews also installed protective measures to prevent contaminants from entering the water during the operation.

"We have booms downstream that will collect any gas or oil runoff that was left over in the cars," Shanks said.

Since Helene, MountainTrue says it has removed roughly 5.5 million pounds of debris from rivers across western North Carolina.

Helping with that effort is Jake Jarvis, owner of Precision Grading, who has volunteered both his equipment and his time since the days immediately following the storm. His daughter, Maya, has often joined him on cleanup efforts.

"It's crazy that we're still so busy working on, you know, devastated areas and pulling things out of the rivers and helping people try to get back in their homes. It's pretty wild that two years later it's still very much a need," Jarvis said.

For Maya, lending a hand has become a lesson she'll carry long after the cleanup is finished.

"You need to take care of yourself, too, but you need to help other people no matter," she said.

While progress continues, organizations leading the recovery said the work is far from finished.

"Our main funding source has been from the $10 million from House Bill 47, and that funding ends at the end of this year. And so we are applying for more funds to keep this work going because, as you can see, there's a lot left over that we still need to get out after the hurricane," Shanks said.

For those leading the cleanup, every vehicle pulled from the river is another reminder of the devastation Helene left behind.

"I think the cars being in the river still two years later is a testament to the power and force that came through the gorge area up here, and so what we're seeing is the remnants of people's property and homes that were washed downstream from the flood, and that's what we're seeing here in the river from those impacts," Shanks said.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS.