Helene work continues two years after storm ravaged Appalachia

Nearly everything Toni Crowder owns is buried underground. Her four-bedroom, two-bathroom house is crushed below her Roan Creek Road property in Butler. So are her picture albums, her dad's clothes and everything else that was inside. It was all destroyed after Hurricane Helene flooded her home with 6 feet of water."Every time I'd go up there and think, well, I can salvage this, or I can salvage that," Crowder said. "I tried. You could wash and wash, the mud would not come out."Crowder buried it all more than a year after the storm. She couldn't bear to see all her untouchable things anymore. She and her husband are now in a new single-wide trailer on the property. Even after weeks and weeks and weeks of manicuring the dirt and growing the grass, Crowder said, she still finds little items that poke through. A makeup brush, maybe, or an ink pen. "I still miss the things that I had," she said. "Some of it I would give anything to have back. But it's okay." Flooding from Hurricane Helene destroyed Toni Crowder's home in Butler, Tenn. She later crushed and buried the house under her property. CONTRIBUTED/TONI CROWDER Two years after the storm, residents and counties are still picking up the pieces. Recovery varies from county to county, whether it's rebuilding homes or repairing roads and bridges. Some long-term recovery groups are wrapping up Helene-related repair for residents, while others are still meeting new people who need help. Within the last year, some public projects have neared the finish line. Some have been delayed due to federal rules. At least 378,500 dump trucks-worth of debris were removed with help from the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority and Department of Transportation. Hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding have funneled into the region to repair water and sewer infrastructure. Federal Emergency Management Agency money has been obligated, but reimbursements are still in the works. Nearly all of Toni Crowder's belongings were ruined by Hurricane Helene. CONTRIBUTED/TONI CROWDER Counties look to future Unicoi County roads were completed about a month before the two-year mark, along with an important rail spur for local industries. However, the Chestoa Bridge still sits along the side of the Nolichucky River after being torn away by the flood. The county is also working to restore the Chestoa Recreation area in partnership with the U.S. National Forest Service. Mayor Garland "Bubba" Evely said the county is waiting on a final OK from an endangered mussels study in the area before bidding out the project."It's been all kinds of holdups on that bridge," Evely said. He hopes the next steps will come in a few weeks. The new one will have a 10-foot walkway, 6 feet wider than the previous bridge. The bridge is part of the Appalachian Trail — without it, hikers have been rerouted through Erwin. Millions of dollars in funding have also gone toward restablilizing Nolichucky streambanks, with help from volunteers. Evely said it's still a "very, very" busy time."I spent the last two years of my life working on every bit of this, and I'd like to see everything put back together before I ride off into the sunset or whatever, but we'll see how that works."In a budget committee meeting earlier this month, Carter County Highway Superintendent Shannon Burchett said several roads still need to be repaired, and at least two are complete. The costliest projects are two bridges destroyed by Elk River flooding. One bridge reconstruction in Washington County is still in the works, along with a handful of roads Mayor Joe Grandy said will likely wrap up in the fall. The county looks to take on disaster mitigation projects like warning systems and updated emergency management plans. "The question now is, what can we do next time so that we don't endanger the 30 swiftwater rescue people that are out there giving their lives to save people, and what do we do to prevent those six losses of life?" Grandy said. Long-term recovery groups shift focus Unicoi and Washington County Long-Term Recovery Groups are mostly helping their clients with finishing touches in restoring their homes, like paving a driveway, sealing a basement or buying a lawnmower.Unicoi County LTRG Interim Executive Director Melanie Montgomery said the group's work has been winding down, but she hopes anyone who still needs help will reach out. The group is still looking for skilled labor: volunteers who know how to complete plumbing, electric and other construction work. Unicoi County LTRG Interim Executive Director Melanie Montgomery said the group's work has been winding down, but she hopes anyone who still needs help will reach out. The group is still looking for skilled labor. JORGELINA MANNA-REA/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Washington County's LTRG President James Hanson said another wave of people started reaching out for help around a year after the flood, so rebuilding has continued. The group wants to identify anyone with remaining needs by the end of October. Hanson expects to start shutting the group down as the year ends."We've kind of made it our goal to be done in two years," Hanson said.In Carter County, some residents are still reaching out to its long-term recovery group for the first time. Their needs either come from the disaster itself or faulty contracting work that came in the wake of the disaster.Some residents' vulnerability to a disaster like Helene was amplified, said Leya Martinez, director of the Carter County long-term recovery group, because of issues like deferred maintenance on their homes.As the two-year mark of Helene neared, the group has focused on preparedness and how to bolster the county for another disastrous event, even if it's not as impactful as Helene. "If our county is unprepared in the sense that a hefty percentage of our residents are in debt, let's say, or a hefty percentage of our residents aren't in safe housing… when a disaster hits, it's going to be harder," she said. Grant funding offers flexibility Money and help from philanthropic and aid organizations and figures — like the East Tennessee Foundation, Appalachian Service Project, Dolly Parton and more — have helped regional recovery. At times, they could work more flexibly than government aid. Organizations said money came in from across the globe and helping hands flew in from groups across the country, in addition to state and federal disaster funding sources.ETF, for example, has financed aid groups with more than $6.5 million in grants, supporting projects into late 2026. President Keith Barber said they've also focused on continuing recovery by funding long-term aid positions in the counties."You can't volunteer forever, and at some point in time, the bottles of water and the baby diapers are going to stop rolling in," he said. "It's not just going to be a six-month ordeal."The First Tennessee Development District and its Area Agency on Aging and Disability have also helped people and municipalities secure government grants for home repairs and improve electrical and wastewater infrastructure."There's been a lot of money allocated, and we're still not really done," said Heather McCamy, FTDD disaster recovery coordinator.There's still money hanging around, like a $125,000 FTAAAD grant to help people with Helene recovery. The grant has few eligibility requirements, although the agency would prefer to use it on a household with someone over 60 years old or with a physical disability. It encourages people to reach out if they still need help. Contacts for Helene relief Unicoi/Erwin Case Manager Desiree Raphael: (865) 722-0574 Washington County Long Term Recovery Group: (423) 791-0494 Carter County Long Term Recovery Group: (423) 281-4709 FTAAAD Information & Assistance Line: 1-866-836-6678 or (423) 928-3258 Residents restructure lives Aid groups have helped put Billy Joe Blevins' life back on track. The 82-year-old moved into his Bumpus Cove home in November 2025 after Helene flooded his old one to the roof. He evacuated the day of the flood with nothing but his guitar and the clothes on his back. Volunteer groups poured in to rebuild and restore while he lived in a camper on his property. "If it hadn't been for them, 'course I'm almost 83 [years] old, ain't no way I could have built back," he said. Blevins chose to stay even though several people he knew couldn't rebuild or chose to move elsewhere."It's home," he said. "We've got the river and the mountains. I hope it don't ever get like it did again." Across the street, two cats patrol the property of Chris and Ami Price. Baby Boy and Sweetie Girl turned up after the flood, Chris said, and never left. The couple, their two children and three pets moved back into their new house along the Nolichucky before Christmas 2025. Much has changed. Foliage on their property, which they bought for the trees, brush and wildlife, has been wiped away. Their new home requires flood insurance payments almost as expensive as their mortgage fees. Memories of how high the river rose still stick with their family, especially on rainy days. Now, the family has a "flood rock" they watch along the riverbank. "If it goes over that rock, then we start paying better attention to it," Chris said. The recovery process has "opened up a lot" for their family — insurance, resources and crisis management — and strengthened their resolve.Chris and Ami said they go back and forth on whether or not they'll stay and for how long. They're still working to get back belongings they lost in the flood, like equipment for Chris' racecar and their son's go-kart."It's just not the same," Ami said. "It doesn't feel like home anymore." It's hard to rebuild in two years, Chris added. They feel lucky they had family to help and somewhere to stay during the recovery process. "There's no time frame on recovery whenever it's personal like this," he said. "A lot of these people lost everything." New houses and fences sit along the Nolichucky River in Bumpus Cove in Unicoi and Washington counties on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA