SPRUCE PINE, N.C.—A few weeks ago, a group of men and women from all around the country were strangers embarking on their daily routines. And then Hurricane Helene struck.
The storm that made landfall in Florida continued its long path of destruction into western North Carolina. A stalled weather front over the mountains had brought more than a foot of rain in the days before, swelling creeks, streams, and rivers. Hurricane Helene then arrived when there was nowhere left for the excessive water to go but through people’s homes.
