Long-term Recovery in Western North Carolina
When Western North Carolina woke up on the Friday morning after Hurricane Helene, it was clear that life wouldn’t be the same. Those who weren’t displaced by water during the night began to step outside to see debris, mud, downed trees, and check in with loved ones to let them know their status, but with phone service and internet out it was difficult to communicate.
The rains that came down September 27, 2024, caused catastrophic damage that not only displaced thousands, but also changed the landscape. Homes washed away, roads gone, businesses destroyed, blackouts, no clean water, and no end in sight. Many were cut off from the world for days, with no cell-phone service or internet, and possibly no way to leave their homes because of missing roads. More than 100 people lost their lives, thousands of homes were destroyed, and more than 73,000 homes were damaged, according to a report from Governor Roy Cooper’s office.
It would be eight days before the Diocese of Western North Carolina could account for all staff and clergy, all of whom were shaken, but survived.
“Our priority after assessing the immediate need of looking at our own house and checking on neighbors was accounting for staff and clergy, checking on the well-being and safety of people. People first, building second, if you will,” said the Rt. Rev. José McLoughlin, Bishop of Western North Carolina.
Of all the diocesan staff, only Archdeacon Brenda Gilbert, who was outside of the hardest-hit area, had access to the internet at her home during that first week. For others, it was a matter of venturing out to find a mobile hotspot. Gilbert’s husband, Dan, had been elected as the diocesan disaster response coordinator. He immediately got to work setting up a webpage for relief efforts with the archdeacon’s phone number.
“Being able to communicate with the world was the most important thing, and immediately, as soon as it went up, Bishop Glenda Curry from the Diocese of Alabama called me, along with [Episcopal Relief and Development], it was almost a tie. Bishop Curry was just wonderful. She calmed me down and helped me get a sense of what needed to happen first. And Katie Mears from ERD right away held my hand and got me hooked up with the people we needed,” Archdeacon Gilbert said.
Resource groups from the Episcopal Church responded quickly after the disaster. Katie Mears — ERD’s senior technical specialist, U.S. disaster and climate risk — provided support in the early days, helping the diocese form methods of communication for donation direction and offering expertise about insurance claims and recovery.
“In my time visiting Western North Carolina and working closely with Episcopal clergy and community leaders there, I have been encouraged by their hearts for people who need the most support in the disaster recovery process,” Mears said. “Disasters like Hurricane Helene have a huge impact on the economy, and the recovery processes can be extremely challenging, especially for people who lack family support or financial resources. We are working with the Diocese of Western North Carolina to support people as they navigate the recovery systems and make plans for their future.”
Instead of welcoming guests and throwing special fall events, churches and conference centers became hubs of community activity, with many offering a place to charge devices and accepting donated items that stacked to the ceiling before being distributed to those in need. Those churches that were cut off or otherwise damaged joined other congregations for worship while the community waited for water and electricity to return. Volunteers poured in, coming with critical items and the hands to clear downed trees, mud, and debris.
The Cathedral of All Souls suffered catastrophic damage to its buildings, displacing the congregation for the foreseeable future.
“All of our electrics and all of our systems were ruined,” said the Very Rev. Sarah Hurlbert, dean of the cathedral. “The water came up all the way to the altar and tossed around heavy wooden pews like it was nothing. And then there’s the mold to be dealt with. But what’s interesting is that the most historic places in the cathedral, the sanctuary and the parish hall, fared better because they used very high-quality material to build it. But anything not part of the historic church building will have to be gutted.”
The total cost of repairs to the cathedral will be in the millions, which accounts for a large chunk of the damage assessment to church properties in the diocese. And it will take time.
“Right now, the biggest thing is that, like everybody, we’re in the same boat as all of us in North Carolina and Tennessee. We all want to use the same vendors, so there’s a long waiting list to start any reconstruction. We’re in the midst of getting the bids for the work, identifying our general contractor, architect, engineers, and so forth,” Hurlbert said.
In the meantime, the congregation has found a temporary home at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Asheville after worshiping for a time at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville.
“It’s a little tight from what we’re used to, but what’s been awesome is that because it’s such a different campus and we have limited space, people are making relationships with one another in a completely new way,” Hurlbert said. “And we are so grateful to Trinity for allowing us space while we figured things out.”
Of the more than 60 churches in the diocese, 23 reported damages and filed insurance claims. Both diocesan conference centers, Valle Crucis and Lake Logan, suffered property damage and a loss of business income, as the storm came on the doorstep of October, the peak tourist season in Western North Carolina. All told, the damage to church properties within the diocese will be millions of dollars. In the area, it’s almost $60 billion, according to Governor Roy Cooper’s office. With the loss and damage of businesses, many being small mom-and-pop establishments, unemployment claims soared to three times the average.
At Lake Logan, the landscape was changed. The West Fork of the Pigeon River widened during the storm, carving out a piece of an airstrip field and leaving an island of sediment in the lake near the boat house. Some buildings suffered leaks and basement flooding, while others were washed away, and many water heaters had to be replaced.
The Valle Crucis Conference Center had minor damages and began welcoming donations and offering hot showers the day after the storm, using its generator to help people charge devices in hopes of communicating with the outside world. In October, Valle Crucis opened its Mission School classrooms for elementary school students to continue learning.
In Bat Cave, the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration lost access to its building because the road was washed away. The building was not lost, but the congregation lost some members, and the road to the church is on the docket (along with about 6,000 others) to be rebuilt. A temporary road was built and drivable in November, but because of continued dangers and the need to keep the road clear for construction crews, the congregation of Transfiguration worships at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Edneyville.
“Even though we have not been able to regularly access our building, it has been used heavily, even before our basic utilities resumed,” Transfiguration’s newsletter said on January 12. “Both our buildings are being used to house supplies for Bat Cave Disaster Relief and the visiting volunteer workers. On cold days, some have taken refuge in our buildings, and the sanctuary has been an open place of prayer and quiet for those who need it. Our parking lot has been used as a staging area for larger machinery and construction material, and used as temporary parking for donor residential vehicles. In sharing our space, we have been living the ministry of hospitality to our neighbors.”
Along with items, monetary donations came in from other dioceses, foundations, and individuals. In the first two months, the diocese received more than 3,000 donations from across the country, with 30 to 40 donations coming in online each day, many with notes of prayer and support attached.
Some of the earliest donations, about $50,000, assisted first responders and anyone in need with food trucks and supplies before the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground. The immediate needs of housing, food, and funds to deploy mental-health providers were also addressed. The funds also allowed people to do immediate home repairs to make homes habitable. Then, about $100,000 went to provide temporary housing, and about $200,000 went to helping displaced churches find temporary facilities for worship.
Now, while the road to recovery stretches longer than any had hoped, donations have slowed.
“We have moved now into full recovery mode and out of the initial response phase,” Bishop McLoughlin said. “We first focused on the immediate needs of temporary housing, mental-health care, food, groceries, and now we’re going into the long term of actually helping people rebuild their homes and get back into their communities, especially the people who don’t have the means and the resources to do it on their own, either because they didn’t have insurance or insurance isn’t going to pay enough.”
Bishop McLoughlin formed a Disaster Recovery and Response Team the month after the storm, which first included the Gilberts and the Rev. Kelsey Davis. Now, two people have been added to help with continually assessing needs and putting any collected resources to use.
“Recovery will take each and every one of us sharing, collaborating, and working together to rebuild and heal,” Davis said. “As Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, we are to have the same care for one another; if one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. My prayer is that we all would continue to keep watch for each other, serving, and showing up however we can as one body with diverse and equal parts in this recovery journey.”
Forms are available on the diocesan website (diocesewnc.org/helene) for any who wish to volunteer. For donations, the best thing to send is money unless a specific need has been requested.
“Early on I had people calling me saying things like, ‘I’m on the road with an 18-wheeler full of water. Where can I take it?’ And while that is appreciated, it can become burdensome when we have so many things coming in,” Archdeacon Gilbert said. “Asheville came out and said, ‘We have enough water to fill up the Catawba River and enough feminine hygiene products to soak it back up again.’ And the churches were using their parish halls and community spaces to collect donations, and now those have to move somewhere so they can have a place to fellowship, especially before Lent.”
The diocese and its churches are working with several community groups to help with all aspects of recovery. Archdeacon Gilbert said that even some unlikely partnerships are being formed with groups that Episcopalians don’t always agree with theologically.
“There was no denomination in this chaos, in this disaster. No lines were drawn. They were all washed away. It becomes just people out here who have a heart for God’s people,” Archdeacon Gilbert said. “People went to bed on September 26, their refrigerators had food, their pantries had food, they had clothes in their closets, their own bed, and everything changed the next day through no fault of their own. I think giving people back some choices and not having them feel like they have to take something just because it was donated is a form of giving back some sense of normalcy that may have been lost.”
The response team is working with clergy to identify people within their parishes who may need help. With the damage to the cathedral being catastrophic, most had requested help be diverted there, but now more are making requests for cleanups and parishioner needs, which the team welcomes.
“If you give to the Diocese of Western North Carolina, you best believe every penny is going to right back out that door, and that goes out in many forms. We’re giving gift cards to people to give them choices on what they need. It’s also going to be used on building supplies, storage sheds for the tools we’re going to need for reconstruction, just so many things we need now,” Archdeacon Gilbert said.
The volunteer form on the diocesan website includes a skills sheet so people are going to the places where their skills directly address the need. Sites are being identified for reconstruction so groups can be sent where there is the most need.
“One of the hallmarks of Western North Carolina is that people know how to help their neighbors,” Bishop McLoughlin said. “And I think it just naturally kicks in when we have situations like this. I’ve seen it over and over again, whether it’s a storm or a pandemic, it is ingrained in the community. The people here, regardless of church status, we have neighbors helping neighbors.”
While the Appalachian people are resilient, the need remains, and it will remain for years while the area rebuilds what was lost.
Sinclaire Sparkman-Carr, former missioner for communication in the Diocese of Western North Carolina, now lives in Middle Tennessee.
