Hurricane Helene
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, bringing 140 MPH winds and catastrophic flooding that stretched from Florida through the Appalachian mountains. NECHAMA mobilized to Western North Carolina to coordinate with NVOAD and local partners. Operating across Henderson, Buncombe, McDowell, and Transylvania Counties, our response there spanned 15 months, beginning in October 2024 and concluding in December 2025.
What started as an urgent "muck and gut" operation evolved into a comprehensive recovery program, including debris removal, specialized chainsaw work, and a robust home rebuilding initiative.
Our sustained presence in the region was defined by the following impact:
- 1,000+ Dedicated Volunteers: Our team managed a massive mobilization effort, which included more than 1,000 onsite volunteers as well as virtual volunteers who completed well over 1,000 calls to affected residents alongside our on-ground crews.
- 13,532 Volunteer Hours: This immense gift of time allowed us to maintain a continuous presence for 272 work days in the field.
- 70 Total Projects: Our crews worked on 70 distinct projects, providing a range of services from emergency stabilization to long-term recovery.
- 52 Completed Homes and Facilities: We successfully finalized 44 gutting and debris removal jobs and 8 full or partial home rebuilds.
- Community Infrastructure Support: Beyond residential aid, we provided debris removal for local small businesses and performed critical work on the facilities of four fellow non-profit organizations.
This scale of work was only possible through a diverse coalition of partners across many faiths and cultures. We extend a special thanks to Lutheran Disaster Services, Week of Compassion, SEWA International USA and the Orthodox Union Relief Missions for their incredible mobilization efforts. Our volunteer base reflected a strong commitment to Tikkun Olam from various Jewish groups, such as JDC Entwine, Moishe House, and Temple Israel in Charlotte. We also welcomed many students into the world of hands-on disaster relief from delegations at Elon College, local Hillels, Young Judaea, and the Latin School in Chicago, among others.
We wish to express our deepest gratitude to the JCC of Asheville and Jewish Family Services of WNC, who provided the essential initial office space and power that kept us operational in the storm's immediate wake. Our rebuilding success was anchored by the Housing Assistance Corporation and Habitat for Humanity of Transylvania, while WNC Team Rubicon members provided the vital chainsaw training that allowed us to take on complex, high-scope projects. We also wish to thank Plain Compassion Crisis Relief, Fruitland Baptist Bible College, and Camp Judea for opening their doors to house our staff and volunteers throughout this long journey of recovery.
Finally, we must emphasize the major gifts we received from local and national foundations, without whom we would have needed to shutter our operations significantly earlier. Western North Carolina was able to heal because of the generosity of these organizations:
- The Community Foundation of Henderson County, NC
- The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
- Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation
- Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation
- Jewish Federations of North America
- Klarman Family Foundation
- Leon Levine Foundation
- Russel Berrie Foundation
- S. Mark Taper Foundation
- Tzedek Social Justice Foundation
- UJA-Federation of New York
Through this outpouring of support from foundations, partners, and the volunteers who answered our call, NECHAMA was able to transform a period of unprecedented destruction into a year-long story of resilience and renewal. We conclude this chapter with profound gratitude for the communities of Western North Carolina that welcomed us and the donors who empowered our team to remain on the ground until the work of recovery was truly underway.