Jessi Rae Morton, News Editor 

Image from Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

As widely reported in Fall 2024, Hurricane Helene moved through the Carolinas on the night of Thursday and into Friday, Sept. 26-27, 2024. The storm caused extensive flood and wind damage, and many of the most devastated areas were in Western North Carolina (WNC) and Tennessee. While some areas are beginning to show signs of recovery, there are still displaced people in need and ongoing controversy about the efficacy of relief efforts. 

Immediately after Hurricane Helene, travel to WNC was widely discouraged. There are still some areas with limited access, but the Visit NC website is actively promoting areas that are currently open, with regular updates to travel advisories as more places become accessible and ready for visitors. There is also a travel advisory map available, and at the time of this writing, the map indicates just a few areas that remain closed, as well as portions of I-40 between North Carolina and Tennessee. 

Because of the timing of Helene, many mountain towns missed out on one of the most popular times of year for tourists to visit: leafing season. Even though the fall colors are long gone, there are still many ways to enjoy WNC during the winter, and open areas hope to highlight winter visit opportunities with an unusual level of marketing for this time of year. For example, in the Be Part of the Comeback campaign, Explore Asheville is taking every available opportunity to invite visitors back, including using Eric Church’s donated song “Carolina” in promotional videos. 

In Asheville, restaurants and hotels are open, and as noted above, visitors are welcome. In other parts of Western North Carolina, though, recovery and relief efforts are ongoing, with many people still displaced. There continue to be specific tensions regarding housing assistance. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Western North Carolina Recovery Advisor Jonathan Krebs was questioned during a hearing of North Carolina’s House Select Committee on Helene Recovery. 

FEMA trailers have become a specific focus of concern, as there are about 80 trailers sitting at a FEMA staging area in Hickory according to a report by Nate Morabito for WCNC. According to Krebs, they have placed over 3000 phone calls, beginning with those highest in need, but those contacted are “largely in safe, decent housing.” According to the same WCNC report, trailers have also been difficult to place due to recent weather in WNC as well as difficulties with permitting requirements in different counties. In a December 2024 briefing, reported on by James Brierton for WCNC, FEMA made clear that, while trailers are the most well-known form of housing assistance, “many more people have received agency assistance through placement in hotels, apartments and home rentals.” 

A FEMA spokesperson also told WCNC that “not every household impacted by Helene will need a trailer in the end, since some survivors are living with family members, are housed in apartments, or are temporarily living in short-term rentals. The agency has stocked up at the staging area with trailers brought in from Alabama and Maryland to be over-prepared.” Still, it has been distressing for many to see the unused trailers in Hickory while being aware of the ongoing need. 

In his first executive order, Governor Josh Stein requested that FEMA extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program eligibility period. In a Jan. 19 response to that request, FEMA added an additional 60 days of eligibility for temporary housing solutions while working to place people in more permanent housing, including the FEMA travel trailers mentioned above. As of Jan. 19, there were “2,763 individuals and families using the program.” 

Governor Stein’s announcement of the extended deadline also included this information for survivors: 

Impacted North Carolinians can now apply for a travel trailer, so they can live on their own property during the rebuilding process. To be eligible for North Carolina’s temporary trailer program, affected homeowners must first be registered with FEMA and determined to be eligible for temporary housing. Then, please contact the North Carolina Disaster Case Management Program at 844-746-2326.  

Any North Carolinian who needs safe housing or post-disaster resources due to the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene can seek assistance from North Carolina Disaster Case Management (NC-DCM). Please visit ncdps.gov/Helene/DCM for more information; you can also fill out a contact form online or contact the NC Disaster Case Management Program at 844-746-2326.