According to the North Carolina Rural Center, 446 houses and 60 rental units were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene. Sixteen months later, dozens of families are still living in temporary housing, which, as the tail end of January proved, is often not to up to task of providing decent shelter when the good old polar vortex gets shoved a thousand miles south of where it belongs.

Putting people back on their feet, or just under a roof, is not easy. It takes money, of course. But it also takes an understanding of how societies function, and how people think of themselves and their place in the greater community. And a solid understanding of property law and the endless list of regulations that guide government assistance programs goes a long way, too.

Michelle Edwards, the executive director of the Polk Referral Center, has thought on all of that.

Resources

Polk Referral Center website

Winter brings a fight to stay warm for those displaced by Helene and living in RVs (PBR, January 28, 2026)

Road to Recovery: Housing Recovery in Western North Carolina (NC Rural Center, February 2026)

Deadline to Apply for Renew NC Post-Helene Housing Recovery is Jan. 31 (NC Dept. of Commerce, Jan. 30, 2026)