Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the rebuilding isn't finished.
I've seen that recovery firsthand as the founder of Patriot Relief, working alongside volunteers and nonprofit organizations helping families across Western North Carolina. There are still people waiting for permanent housing, still communities dealing with damaged infrastructure and still volunteers showing up with building materials because somebody needs them.
This week on From the Rooftops, Stephanie Johnson of Rebuilding Hollers Foundation is joining me to talk about what she is seeing in Yancey and Mitchell counties. Rebuilding Hollers provides building materials and supplies to families whose homes were damaged or destroyed during Helene, and Stephanie has stayed in this work long after the storm disappeared from most national headlines.
I'll also dig into a recent NPR report from North Carolina's Outer Banks, where coastal erosion is putting homeowners in an extraordinary position. Some homeowners can't afford to relocate or demolish threatened houses, while flood insurance may provide coverage if the home eventually collapses.
These stories are happening at opposite ends of North Carolina, but they raise some of the same questions about property ownership, disaster recovery, insurance and what happens when a family's home is caught between a natural disaster and the systems designed to help them recover.
I've also written more about the two-year anniversary of Helene and what I've witnessed through Patriot Relief in my latest Bricks and Grit Substack, "Two Years After the Mountains Gave Way."
Join me Thursday at 9:00 AM ET for From the Rooftops.
Learn more and help:
PatriotRelief.org
RebuildingHollers.com
Chapters
0:00 Welcome and the impact of Hurricane Helene
1:02 FEMA flood insurance and financial challenges
3:12 New flood zones and rebuilding restrictions
4:35 Surveyor shortages complicate property lines
7:45 FEMA policies and constitutional property rights
10:54 Introducing Stephanie Johnson from Rebuilding Hollers
13:03 Yancey and Mitchell counties after the storm
15:31 Water issues and well contamination problems
19:22 Rebuilding Hollers success stories and projects
24:41 High school construction program creates tradesmen
Leigh Brown is a REALTOR®, national speaker, author, real estate industry leader and founder of Patriot Relief, a nonprofit created in response to Hurricane Helene to help communities in Western North Carolina.
Book me to speak: https://LeighBrown.com/speaker
More from me: https://LeighBrown.com
Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the rebuilding isn't finished. I've seen that recovery firsthand as the founder of Patriot Relief, working alongside volunteers and
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