PHOTOS: Western North Carolina Town Lies in Ruins Weeks After Hurricane Helene

SWANNANOA, North Carolina — There is eerie silence in the small town of Swannanoa, North Carolina, two weeks after Hurricane Helene.

Mud-covered cars still lie along the highway like carcasses. A church sits empty on Sunday, its roof partially collapsed.

Homes have crumbled walls, exposing turned-over furniture or a soiled stuffed animal, hinting at who used to occupy it.

Power lines are still mangled, many homes and businesses still do not have power or running water, and with roads washed out, many people are still unable to leave their homes for supplies.

The small town of Swannanoa was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, but barely any reconstruction is happening.

Some people have refused to leave, and are living in tents along the river or in parking lots.

Half a dozen sites run entirely by citizen volunteers have sprung up in the area, to collect and distribute donations. There, survivors come in vehicles to pick up water, pet food, and other supplies. With winter right around the corner, they need propane tanks, generators, and other cold weather supplies.

Hurricane Helene is the deadliest storm to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina, making landfall on September 27 in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane before moving north through Georgia and slamming into the mountains of western North Carolina. There, it overwhelmed rivers and drainage systems, causing freakish flash-flooding and mudslides. At least 95 have been confirmed dead in North Carolina.

According to one volunteer, more than 1,000 are still missing.

There is a sense from volunteers that the national media has moved on — almost as quickly as the hurricane passed through the region.

It will be months, even years, before the town is rebuilt.

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