Hurricane Helene Recovery: Bringing Families Back Home

When Hurricane Helene slammed into the Southeastern U.S. in September 2024, communities across North Carolina and Georgia were changed forever. Hundreds of thousands of families were forced out of their homes, which were devastated by severe flooding and wind damage.

CORE immediately deployed teams to both states. In Phase 1 of our response, we served more than 12,000 people by delivering critical resources like meals and hygiene kits, helping families apply for FEMA and other aid, and making urgent home repairs. In Phase 2, we worked to bring displaced families in North Carolina back home.

The Alan Campos Mobile Home Park in Swannanoa, NC, sits in a valley between two lakes and the Swannanoa River. When Helene hit, the homes at the bottom of the hill were completely destroyed by flash floods. CORE focuses on serving the most vulnerable people—which is why we teamed up with local partners to rebuild 25 homes in this community.

Construction started in December 2024. Rather than simply rebuild exactly what was lost, we also elevated the foundations of the homes to protect them from future flooding. By March 2025, all 25 families had moved back into their homes, with a new sense of security thanks to this proactive approach to climate resilience.

Meet Maria

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Maria lives with her husband and four children in Alan Campos. While she and her family were physically safe from Hurricane Helene, losing everything has been traumatizing.

“It’s really hard living this experience. And even more when your kids say, I just want to go back home,” she shared. Now that their family is home again, she feels relieved and grateful—especially to be able to cook meals for her kids in her own kitchen.

“Thank you to CORE, who has been there from the start. I’m so thankful for them because they find ways to help us get back home soon,” Maria said.

CORE began working in North Carolina in 2018 after Hurricane Florence. Since then, we’ve developed deep roots in the community and established a local office to provide long-term support.

We are grateful to our partners who made the Alan Campos rebuilding project possible: Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, Lowe’s Foundation, United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County, United Way of North Carolina, and West Fraser.

There is still so much work to be done. Our local team has identified three additional mobile home communities in Buncombe County, NC, where more than 50 homes remain in desperate need of repair. We are urgently seeking funding for this next phase of rebuilding.

Click here to learn more and support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene >>