North Carolina resident Coree Loffkin says many Hurricane Helene survivors are still suffering two months after the storm as cold weather becomes persistent.

Though they were seven hours away, their suffering felt like his own. He couldn’t bear the thought of watching his home swallowed by floodwaters, losing friends and family to a sudden disaster, or spending Thanksgiving alone,

Hurricane Helene took out critical infrastructure in western North Carolina, specifically water systems that were already under much strain.

Some communities more socially vulnerable to disasters According to an October report from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half a million North Carolinians living under disaster declarations during Hurricane Helene were already highly vulnerable to disasters.

This Thanksgiving holiday will be shadowed by the loss of a loved one for many in Western North Carolina left to mourn after Tropical Storm Helene.

The flooding that devastated western North Carolina knocked out water systems, and some small towns still don’t have water. The most exciting part of the day at Spruce Pine Montessori School is when the truck arrives to empty the porta-johns.