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Haywood County marks one year since Hurricane Helene, officials outline recovery needs
Summary
Officials and residents gathered to honor five local victims of Hurricane Helene, thank responders and volunteers, and outline ongoing recovery needs including an estimated $5 million in repairs and limited FEMA funding.
Haywood County officials and residents gathered for a remembrance ceremony marking one year since Hurricane Helene, honoring five people who died in the flood and emphasizing the continuing work to repair homes, infrastructure and lives.
County Commission Chairman Kevin Ensign recounted the emergency response and praised local emergency management staff, volunteer fire departments, county nurses and heavy-equipment operators for rescue and cleanup efforts. Ensign thanked state and federal partners, saying Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr’s office (Sen. Tillis was also thanked in the remarks) responded quickly when asked for help. He also acknowledged FEMA’s early presence and local media coverage.
An unidentified Waynesville official said emergency management began preparing at 4 a.m. the morning of the storm and that rescue teams carried out “over 100 rescues” during a roughly five-hour period. The same speaker reported about 200 buildings were damaged, including a water pump station and two sewer lines, and estimated the town’s full recovery could cost about $5,000,000. The town has received approximately $630,000 in FEMA funds to date; the official said FEMA regulations have slowed some longer-term repairs.
Representatives from Canton, Clyde and Maggie Valley described local rescue and relief operations: door-to-door warnings, volunteer-fed relief centers and the use of temporary communications such as Starlink at the Maggie Valley fire station. Maggie Valley officials said the town’s pavilion served as a relief distribution hub for roughly two and a half months and that the town board recently approved five projects to move into engineering.
Several speakers urged continued support and funding. An unidentified Clyde official summarized the community’s plea plainly: “We’re not done yet,” and asked outside partners to continue sending resources.
Students and local groups contributed to the hour: two high-school students read poems about the storm and recovery and students are involved in a Helene Memorial public-art project.
Practical resources were shared at the ceremony: recovery assistance is available at the Helene Recovery Center, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. at the Development Services Building next to Tractor Supply, and updates and resource listings are posted at readyhaywood.com. The ceremony closed with a prayer and a call to continued community solidarity.
The remembrance underscored both milestones and remaining needs: officials called attention to continued infrastructure repairs, unmet funding needs and the long-term work of rebuilding households and public facilities.
