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    • North Carolina is still recovering from Helene
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    North Carolina is still recovering from Helene

    Umito Posted on

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    More than a month later Hurricane Helene devastated regions of the southeastern United States, some communities in mountain towns and villages in western North Carolina are still without water, electricity, infrastructure and regular school schedule.

    Although these necessities are the focus of restoration efforts, the trauma associated with loss, grief and harrowing experiences of survival could affect residents for years.

    “I think a lot of us are coming out of our immediate fight-or-flight freeze right now,” says Rachael Chatham, a licensed clinical mental health counselor who has been practicing in Asheville, North Carolina, for more than 10 years. “It can be incredibly difficult, especially if you have a belief system that says, ‘I can handle it,’ or ‘I’m strong, so I can do this alone,’ or ‘I don’t need anyone.’

    At the heart of Appalachian MountainsChatham and others argue that people grow up learning to be self-reliant, a trait that has helped communities I try to rebuild afterwards the natural disaster. However, the emotional effects associated with recovery may require different tools.

    WATCH how this historic town attempts to rebuild after being nearly wiped out by the storm

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    Hotel owner says historic North Carolina town was nearly wiped out by Helen

    Josh Copus, a hotel owner and artist in Marshall, North Carolina, describes how flooding following Tropical Storm Helen decimated the small town.

    Allison Jennings and her husband Chris run a nonprofit called Community Kitchen, which serves food year-round to people in need. Their building was flooded during the storm and, having experienced other major flooding in the past, they say fear sets in every time it rains heavily.

    “I stood there in the rain with a tape measure, measuring the distance from the river to the storm drain outlet,” Chris said. “So there was a physical toll, an emotional toll. Unless you’ve been through that, you can’t understand.”

    THE UNITED STATES TODAYalongside the Asheville Citizen Timesspent time in several North Carolina communities to understand how people are coping mentally, physically and emotionally since the a storm that only occurs once every thousand years on September 27, homes, businesses, roads and livelihoods were devastated.

    “You think you’re doing good, you buy a house, you do all these things right, and something like this happens in a community where you don’t expect flooding,” said John Zara, standing nearby piles. of rotten wood and destroyed objects in front of his house in Swannanoa.

    “In addition to losing your home and belongings, you’ve also lost your ability to generate income. The bill collectors keep hitting. The mortgage company still wants their money. So it’s one thing after another .It’s a lot to think about and a lot to tackle at the same time.”

    Zara says he, his wife Stephanie and two children aged 7 and 2 managed to escape their flooded home when the water level almost reached the attic. Stephanie says she climbed a tree, screamed for help and was rescued with her children by neighbors in kayaks.

    “Being able to talk about it, I think it gives us an opportunity to heal together as a community in a way that just shoveling mud doesn’t always allow,” Chatham said. “We tend to hush things up and repress them.”

    WATCH how this family of four escaped rapid flooding in their home during the storm

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    Watch the Swannanoa family describe the harrowing experience of escaping the floods

    John Zara explains how he, his wife and two children fled their home when the water level nearly reached the attic in Swannanoa, North Carolina.

    Josh Copus, artist and business owner in the historic town of Marshall, North Carolina, says he felt isolated and empty when he began cleaning up following the massive flooding. But then something unexpected happened. People he didn’t even know offered to shovel mud for hours and hours from his boutique hotel. He calls it “hope in humanity.”

    “That’s what it gave me, was the personal strength to get through this,” Copus said, as he carried debris from his building in a wheelbarrow while wearing a construction mask. “We’re going to do it together.”

    From mules delivering From medicines and life-saving supplies in hard-to-reach areas to local chefs delivering hot meals to the hungry, there’s no need to look for help. Whatever community we visited, help was everywhere.

    “We kind of do what chefs do and use the product we have in front of us,” said Ashleigh Shanti, owner of Good Hot Fish in south Asheville. The restaurant, like many others, is temporarily closed because the city has no drinking water. Shanti and other local chefs work together to prepare large quantities of food for those in need of a free hot meal.

    “I feel like my job is to feed people,” says Shanti, a local celebrity after competing in 2022 on the cooking reality show Top Chef. “It’s just what comes naturally.”

    WATCH the full documentary, Healing After Helene: North Carolina Rebuilds, at the top of the page.

    Umito
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