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Avery County residents reflect on Hurricane Helene, 6 months later
A small town along a river is emblematic of the uphill battle to recover from the storm.
AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — These past six months have been a time of rebuilding, marked by tragedy and loss in the wake of Helene. The powerful hurricane tore through western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, devastating towns and cities.
Six months to the day, WCNC Charlotte returned to the heart of Avery County, one of the areas hit hardest by the storm.
It is where the small town of Minneapolis, built along the North Toe River, can be found. When Helene hit six months ago, the region had to grapple with reality; lives were lost, homes were destroyed, and everything changed all of a sudden.
Change, some residents noted, is like the water that flows near town.
“It doesn’t even seem possible that it’s been that long,” Yvonne Ballaera said. “I can’t believe it’s been six months. I watched Bob and Adwinda’s house float by, and I thought we weren’t going to make it.”
Change can push a person to a breaking point.
“It was eye-opening, the power of the storm,” Don Thacker said. “Seeing that much force roaring through here, causing so much destruction and death. And then, at the end, it was calm.”
Thacker and Ballaera reflected on a memory that still feels close.
“Around 10 a.m., I looked outside. Just 30 minutes later, and all I saw was water,” Thacker said. “We sat there and prayed.”
Six months ago to the day, the two were trapped inside their home as water rushed in. At the time, they didn’t think they would make it.
“I texted my mom, my dad, my daughter, and my best friend. I told them I loved them and hoped I’d see them again someday,” Thacker said.
Eventually, the water calmed and receded just enough for them to escape, only to step out into a world forever changed. It was complete destruction.
Homes were washed away, lives altered forever, and many lives were lost. But in an unexpected way, the same water that nearly took Don’s life also saved him. He was baptized in the middle of this river. It’s a beautiful moment, submerged within pain.
“I miss this place before the storm,” Thacker said. “I love this community, but I miss what it was.”
Since then, the journey of restoration has been slow.
“There are so many things that are broken,” Ballaera said. “But there’s beauty in the brokenness.”
They are reminded of the higher power that carried them through.
“I am far more religious today than I was before the storm,” Ballaera said.
“The hurricane didn’t test my faith—it confirmed it,” Thacker said.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.