CHARLOTTE — The young woman in her 20s didn’t know where to turn.
A resident of Asheville, she – along with hundreds of others – saw her job in the service and tourism industry wash away when the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Helene rushed through in late September. Three months later, she still had not been able to find a new job. Her utilities were set to be turned off on Dec. 31, and she was facing eviction the same day because she couldn’t pay the rent.
A phone call to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte gave her a lifeline – funds to keep the lights on and keep her in her home.
That young woman is just one of hundreds currently being helped by the agency as storm relief efforts have pivoted to addressing long-term needs, according to Executive Director and CEO Gerry Carter.
As of early January, Catholic Charities has raised more than $9 million for Helene relief efforts, with more than $1 million from Catholic Charities USA and donations coming from all 50 states and countries on three continents, Carter said. Thanks to donations and a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, the agency has been able to hire additional help. They currently have five disaster case workers as well as six additional staff doing disaster case management. They plan to hire two to three more case managers and a parish and community engagement resource coordinator.
Initially the agency’s staff and volunteers swung into action and provided much-needed supplies such as bottled water, non-perishable food, diapers and other items. In November, the focus shifted to long-term relief, Carter said.
“While on the surface in a lot of places there appears to be some return to normalcy, we’re spending a lot of time on longer-term recovery issues which are going to take months, if not years,” Carter said. “People have lost everything – from their furniture to their children’s toys. What has made it even more difficult for thousands is that their employment was also washed away, so their income has been lost or reduced. They got behind on rent and utilities. They’re dealing with trying to get homes back into livable condition.”
During the last six weeks of 2024, the agency provided financial assistance to more than 900 households, and many others have been placed in long-term case management.
The agency is currently taking a six-prong approach to addressing the needs in western North Carolina.
Care for the storm survivors comes first. So far, households have received financial assistance for rent and mortgage payments, campers for temporary housing, utilities, hotel stays, building supplies and replacement of essentials such as contact lenses, glasses and clothing.
Students have been able to continue their education through help with tuition, and several families who lost their cars have received donated used vehicles. Funds have also gone toward bridge reconstruction to help individuals regain access to homes.
Funds are also going to help small businesses that suffered physical and financial damage so the owners and employees can get back to work, Carter said.
Caseworkers are also helping survivors rebuild homes damaged by the storm. Whenever possible, the agency is trying to purchase furniture and other items locally, so funds are also pumped back into the region’s struggling economy.
“You want to buy in the local area because Asheville, Blowing Rock and other areas that rely heavily on tourism didn’t see that revenue this fall and Christmas,” Carter said. “There are furniture stores in the Swannanoa area we are working with as well because we want to generate money for the local economy.”
Some clients need help finding employment because their jobs in the service or tourism industry were lost or hours were severely reduced.
Estimates show that up to 1,000 jobs were lost in the Biltmore Village district and hundreds of others were affected by severe damage to Asheville’s River Arts District.
Several mobile home parks in the Swannanoa area and other communities are being rebuilt thanks to building materials funded by the agency.
“Most recently, we paid for the physical lifting of individual trailers in a mobile home park community so they would be above flood waters, and we have committed an additional $100,000 to purchase HVAC systems,” Carter said.
The agency is working in tandem with the Catholic Schools Office to provide funds for Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville and Asheville Catholic Schools to help defray expenses.
Catholic Charities is using websites, social media and other forms of communication to help survivors register with FEMA and connect with other resources offering assistance in western North Carolina.
— Christina Lee Knauss
