Hurricane Helene, One Year Later: Lived Experience

Ashe County is located in the northwestern corner of North Carolina (NC), bordered by Virginia and Tennessee. The county is isolated, mountainous, and historically has lacked good highway access. Hurricane Helene, a category 4 hurricane at landfall, struck Western NC on September 27, 2024, resulting in flooding and wind damage that destroyed local communities in terms of land, homes, bridges, water, electricity, etc. with a damage of $59.6 billion.6 One year later, the recovery from the hurricane continues draining individuals and communities of their time, energy, and money. Geri Miller reflects on her hurricane impact experiences a year later. She is a psychologist that responded to 9/11 in New York as an American Red Cross (ARC) Disaster Mental Health Counselor (DMHC). At 70 years old, she lives in Ashe County along the New River.