An American flag flies muddied outside a destroyed home in Swannanoa, N.C. after Hurricane Helene on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
×Photos made for Polaris.
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene hit the American southeast, particularly impacting Western North Carolina, the region I've called home for a decade.
Many, if not most, folks I talked to in the area considered the storm and its impact akin to the Old Testament story of the Flood of Noah. Other descriptors - "once in ten thousand years," "never seen before," "unimaginable" - were thrown around, but the most common - whether due to the area's deep ties with Southern Baptist Evangelism or due to the sheer apocalyptic impact Helene had - was "Biblical."
A volunteer worker enters an unsafe home in Swannanoa, N.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, after Hurrican Helene caused massive damage to Western North Carolina.
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Gloria Miller empties leftover canned food from her home in Swannanoa, N.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Miller had lived in the home for over 30 years before Helene hit Western North Carolina.
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Jim Reising, left, hugs a neighbor at his home outside Black Mountain, N.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Reising has been offering supplies and Starlink internet connection to anyone who drives by his home on NC-9.
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Tracy and Jim Reising’s laundry in Black Mountain, N.C. on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
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Samaritan’s Purse volunteers pray after helping with relief efforts after Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, N.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
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Livestock dogs in Meat Camp, N.C. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
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A sign outside a destroyed home informs passerby about the state of the residents outside Bat Cave, N.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
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Homer Howard poses for a portrait with his hunting rifle outside his destroyed home in Bat Cave, N.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Howard has been dealing with looters since Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina - “I saw three or four of them in the front yard, and they tore through all my firewood” he said, pointing out a fire pit and a folding shovel. “Maybe they left that shovel for me to bury them with.”
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A volunteer worker empties insulation out of an unsafe home in Swannanoa, N.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, after Hurrican Helene caused flooding to reach the roof of the home.
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US Army troops bring supplies to Black Mountain, N.C., residents on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
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