Long-Term Effects of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina's Youth

Thu Sep 18 2025 17:14:13 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in North Carolina, thousands of students continue to experience homelessness and emotional distress. This article explores the ongoing impact of the disaster on children and families in affected areas.

Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina's Appalachian region last year, leading to extensive damage and displacing thousands of students. Many children, like Natalie Briggs and America Sanchez Chavez, are still facing the repercussions, including emotional trauma and homelessness. Schools reopened amidst ongoing recovery efforts, highlighting the challenges of providing stability for displaced families and their children's education. Research indicates that natural disasters increasingly lead to homelessness among students, with many schools struggling to secure necessary federal funding for recovery services.

SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — When 12-year-old Natalie Briggs visited the ruins of her home after Hurricane Helene, she had to tightrope across a wooden beam to reach what was once her bedroom.

Knots of electrical wires were draped inside the skeleton of the house. Months after the storm, light filtered through breaks in the tarps over the windows. “All I could think of was, ‘This isn’t my house,’” said Natalie, who had been staying in her grandparents’ basement.

At school, Natalie sometimes had panic attacks when she thought of her ruined home in Swannanoa.

“There were some points where I just didn’t want people to talk to me about the house — or just, like, talk to me at all,” Natalie said.

Thousands of students across western North Carolina lost their homes a year ago when Helene hit with some of the most vicious floods, landslides, and wind ever seen in the state’s Appalachian region, once considered a “climate haven.” Across the state, more than 2,500 students were identified as homeless as a direct result of Helene, according to state data.

While storm debris has been mostly cleared away, the impact of the displacement lingers for the region’s children. Schools reopened long before many students returned to their homes, and their learning and well-being have yet to recover.

The phenomenon is increasingly common as natural disasters disrupt U.S. communities more frequently and with more ferocity.

The Associated Press is collaborating with Blue Ridge Public Radio, Honolulu Civil Beat, CalMatters, and Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico to examine how school communities are recovering from the disruption of natural disasters.

In the North Carolina mountains, the challenge of recovery is especially acute. Families in rural, low-income areas already deal with challenges such as food insecurity and rent affordability, said Cassandra Davis, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill public policy professor. “I would almost argue that they don’t get the opportunity to recover,” Davis said.

Finding stable housing became all-consuming

After Helene flooded her rental home in Black Mountain, Bonnie Christine Goggins-Jones and her two teenage grandchildren had to leave behind nearly all their belongings.

“They lost their bed, clothes, shoes, their book bag,” she said.

The family lived in a motel, a leaky donated camper, and another camper before moving into a new apartment in June.

Goggins-Jones struggled to heat the camper during winter. Her grandchildren kept going to school, but it wasn’t top of mind.

The area around Asheville, western North Carolina’s largest city, still has a significant housing shortage a year after the storm.

The family of America Sanchez Chavez, 11, had to split up to find housing. Helene left their trailer home in Swannanoa uninhabitable, and money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency wasn’t enough to cover the renovations.

America and some relatives went to stay at her grandmother’s apartment, while her older brother lived at a friend’s house. Eventually, America moved with her mother to a room at a Black Mountain hotel where she works.

America said she is still frightened by rain or thunder. “At one point when the rain actually got, like, pretty bad ... I did get scared for a while,” she said.

Helene damaged more than 73,000 homes, knocking out electricity and water for weeks if not months. The destruction of local infrastructure also closed schools, and a barrage of snow days exacerbated the missed class time.

Displaced students spread across North Carolina

After natural disasters, surges in students living in unstable, temporary arrangements, such as sleeping on a couch or staying in a shelter, are common. Research shows these situations qualify students as homeless under federal law.

In Puerto Rico, over 6,700 students were identified as homeless in Hurricane Maria’s aftermath during the 2017-2018 school year. Hawaii saw a 59% increase in its homeless student population following the 2023 Maui wildfires.

In Helene’s aftermath, student homelessness spiked in several hard-hit counties. Yancey County saw the region’s highest percentage increase in homeless students, with the number rising from 21 to 112.

Some students enrolled in other school systems temporarily; others did not return at all.

Terri Dolan of Swannanoa sent her two young children to stay with her parents in Charlotte ahead of the storm. After seeing the extent of the devastation, Dolan had them enroll in school there. They stayed for over a month before returning home.

“My job is to make money for our family and their job is to go to school,” Dolan says she’d always told her kids. She prioritized their education despite the disruption.

Some districts receive federal money for services such as transporting homeless students to their usual school buildings, but many miss out on federal assistance due to competitive application processes.

Housing instability has a lasting impact

Gwendolyn Bode, a pre-law student, had to leave her mud-wrecked apartment complex after Helene. Unable to secure campus housing, she found temporary accommodations that added to her stress during the school year.

“I can’t tell you what I learned,” Bode said, reflecting on how housing instability distracted her from academics.

For Natalie Briggs, the emotional toll continues to affect her family. Her mother noted their time living in close quarters created both challenges and bonding moments.

“She’s been a little bit more loving since all of this happened,” said Barker, reflecting on the growth in their relationship despite the hardships.