These photos and videos were taken in the hours, days and weeks after the devastating storm.
A safety vest and Styrofoam cups sit atop a bridge on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort on Wednesday. Residents, hired workers and aid organizations from McDowell County and across that nation are coming together to clean up the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
Winds from Hurricane Helene brought down a massive tree onto the historic Laughridge House on Airport Road in Marion. The house is owned by Alex and Shelby Clevenger, and the destruction from the tree means their home will have to be demolished.
Pat Gowan picks up a necklace while searching through debris at Triple C Campground in Marion on Oct. 8, trying to find belongings lost during Hurricane Helene. She hopes to find her wedding ring, which was swept away during the hurricane.
Triple C Campground was heavily damaged in the hurricane.
The Mountain Gateway Museum’s office was in the yellow Mauney house along Mill Creek, seen heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene in this November 2024 photo.
Hurricane Helene destroyed or severely damaged homes, businesses, churches and the infrastructure in Old Fort.
This part of Commerce Street in Old Fort was washed away by Hurricane Helene in early October.
This photo shows some damage caused by Hurricane Helene at the North Cove Leisure Club disc golf course.
Trees brought down during Hurricane Helene rest along the railroad tracks parallel to Old Highway 70 in Old Fort on Jan. 3, 2025.
Flooding caused by Hurricane Helene washed away a foot bridge at South Mountains State Park. This photos was taken shortly after the storm.
Properties on Ridge Street near Lookout Shoals Lake in Catawba County were impacted by flooding due to Hurricane Helene.
Properties on Northcrest Street were damaged when Lookout Shoals Lake overflowed its banks as Hurricane Helene moved through the area.
Volunteer John Barnhart carries damaged items out of Pearl Shelton’s house in Old Fort on Wednesday. Volunteers from God’s Pit Crew, Zion Community Church in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and others around the Old Fort community are working to clean out homes ruined by Hurricane Helene.
The Hickory Riverwalk parking lot gate is sealed with padlocks and marked with a “trail closed” sign on Oct. 14. The pedestrian bridge has been closed since Hurricane Helene came through on Sept. 27.
The fencing around Field 5 at Catawba Meadows Park was destroyed by flood waters from Hurricane Helene.
A section of the bridge along Catawba River Greenway liften up above itself on Sep. 30, 2024. Sections of the Greenway were damaged and covered in mud and debris following flooding from Hurricane Helene on Sep. 27.
A section of the bridge along Catawba River Greenway liften up above itself on Sep. 30, 2024. Sections of the Greenway were damaged and covered in mud and debris following flooding from Hurricane Helene on Sep. 27.
Roads damaged by Hurricane Helene remain a challenge in Old Fort.
Monica Meda cleans up outside of the home of Brown Mountain Beach Resort managers Jeremy and Kelsey Wallace on Oct. 4, 2024. The home was flooded during Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, 2024.
A Bobcat grabs a pile of lumber from a pile at the Brown Mountain Beach Resort in Lenoir, NC on Oct. 4, 2024. Brushy Rock Builders volunteered their heavy-machinery and manpower to help clear up the debris left from Hurricane Helene’s floods.
The bridge on Pitts Station Road in Marion that leads from U.S. 221 to Baxter Healthcare was severely damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Helene as seen on Oct. 2.
Part of Pitts Station Road in Marion that leads from U.S. 221 to Baxter Manufacturing was severely damaged by flood waters during Hurricane Helene as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
American Thread Road in McDowell County was severely damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Helene, as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Multiple spots on NC 226A between Little Switzerland and the Blue Ridge Parkway at Gillespie Gap have been compromised due to landslides in Hurricane Helene.
Volunteers distribute food, bottled water and health care items at the Columbia Forest Products warehouse in Old Fort, one of a handful of distribution centers set up across McDowell County to help victims of Hurricane Helene. (Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal)
Volunteers distribute food and health care items at the Columbia Forest Products warehouse in Old Fort, one of a handful of distribution centers set up across McDowell County to help victims of Hurricane Helene. (Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal)
Students from Mountain Laurel Montessori Collective (from left) Veda Winant, 10, Isla Winant, 7 and Clover Rainey, 8, carry bottled waters for distribution to workers repairing the Old Fort water and sewage systems on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal)
Amy Davis, owner of The Davis Country Store & Cafe in Old Fort, cooks fajita meat for firefighters working across the street from her store on Wednesday. She and a number of volunteers are cooking hot meals for the many local residents still without power, the first responders working the region and the workers and volunteers who have come to aid in the cleanup.
Loch Koulouris (left) and Mads Mirassou pick up donated fresh produce from The Davis Country Store & Cafe in Old Fort so they can cook pots of stew for the evening meal on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. They are among the many volunteers who are cooking hot meals for the many local residents still without power, the first responders working the region and the workers and volunteers who have come to aid in the clean up. (Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal)
Winston-Salem Journal Angel Martinez cuts up the water-damaged hardwood gym floor as crews clean up Old Fort Elementary School after floodwater from Hurricane Helene got in the building.
Floodwaters rose to 46 inches inside Steven McAnally's Old Fort home during Hurricane Helene.
Kevin McAnally fills a carboy with non-potable water that his cousin, Steven, can use to flush his toilet in Old Fort as the town continues to clean up after flooding of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. The water was being distributed by Paul Brewer (left), whose house was destroyed in the flooding and was still trying to help out his community.
Jaxson Bartlett, 10, gets a hug from his fourth grade teacher, Anna Rowland, after his family brought her family gifts on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 in Old Fort. Rowland was staying with her mother, Emily, and sister, Lindsay Latham when they forced out of the family home (background) by flood waters of Hurricane Helene.
Vehicles create a cloud of dust as they pass on Catawba Avenue, the road that connects I-40 with Main Street in Old Fort on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (Walt Unks/Winston-Salem Journal)
Belinda Wright, right, gets a hug from Emily Rowland as they talk near their damaged homes in Old Fort on Wednesday. “I lost everything,” Wright told Rowland. “I was able to save some pictures, my mother’s ashes and my granddaughter’s ashes. How do you start over from this?”
Mud and debris surround vehicles and campers that were moved during the flooding from Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Lisa Hines, an artist and vice president of the board at Arrowhead Artists & Artisans League, works to salvage whatever pieces of art and workshop supplies she can from the league's gallery on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort as the town recovers from flooding of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday.
A trailer that was swept away in the flood waters of Hurricane Helene came to rest against a utility pole in Old Fort.
Mud and debris were swept in to the yard of Emily Rowland during the flooding from Hurricane Helene, as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Rowland had to evacuate her home to the elementary school where she teaches to escape the flood waters.
Marques Franklin, foreground, and Mauricio Monjares squeegee floodwaters from Hurricane Helene from a storage room deep inside Hillman Beer in Old Fort on Wednesday.
Cars crushed by floodwaters and trees sit off the road in Old Fort after Hurricane Helene hit the town.
Properties around Old Fort were destroyed by floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
Cars and debris that was washed down Mill Creek during Hurricane Helene flooding was near the Catawba Avenue bridge in Old Fort.
A storage shed came to rest on top of a car in the flood waters of Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
A water rescue crew in Marion guides a boat along a flooded road during Hurricane Helene.
Michael Whitney tries to smash down items in a dumpster placed outside business on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort as the town cleans up from Hurricane Helene flooding on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Cones and safety tape mark off a sunken part of Old Greenlee Road on Oct. 1, 2024. Flood water from Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to roads and bridges throughout the area.
Restaurant owner Jennifer Hartman, center, and manager Pepper Strode inspect a warmer inside the J. Hartman’s Restaurant kitchen on Tuesday. Hartman, her staff, family and volunteers, spent several days cleaning out the interior of the restaurant after Hurricane Helene flooded the interior of the building and covered the floor in several inches of mud.
Hickory Daily Record Albina Gonzales, left, Angeles Amable, right, and Nidea Cruz, back, clean the kitchen inside J. Hartman’s restaurant on Tuesday. Since Hurricane Helene, restaurant staff, family, friends and community members have helped clean up the restaurant.
The Catawba River overflowed its banks over Green Street near the River Village shopping center as a result of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28.
The Ingles on U.S. Highway 70 in Morganton wass flooded from the Catawba River and remnants of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28.
One of nine houses belonging to the extended White family along Powerhouse Road in Glen Alpine was washed away by the flooding of the Catawba River as a result of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
A high water mark is visible on the Silver Creek Restaurant near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 bypass and Carbon City Road in Morganton on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2024, as floodwaters from the Catawba River and remnants of Hurricane Helene begin to recede.
Mimosa Hills shopping center at the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 bypass and Carbon City Road in Morganton was flooded on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from the Catawba River and remnants of Hurricane Helene .
A Kimbrell's Furniture delivery truck was submerged in the parking lot of their store in Mimosa Hills shopping center at the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 bypass and Carbon City Road in Morganton on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from the Catawba River and remnants of Hurricane Helene.
Several of nine houses belonging to the extended White family along Powerhouse Road in Glen Alpine were washed away by the flooding of the Catawba River below the Lake James dam as a result of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The family said all nine houses were damaged or washed away along with a number of out buildings.
Several of the nine houses belonging to the extended White family along Powerhouse Road in Glen Alpine were washed away by the flooding of the Catawba River below the Lake James dam as a result of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The family said all nine houses were damaged or washed away along with a number of out buildings.
Private, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army helicopters refueled at the Hickory Regional Airport during operations after the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through the area in September 2024.
From left: Kathy Kelly, Donnie Coffey and Jimmy Rector load damaged items from Salon 337 into a trailer on Monday. The salon was one of many businesses flooded in the River Village shopping Center in Morganton during Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
Jim Morgan, 81, describes the flood damage to his home in Morganton following Hurricane Helene. Morgan designed, modeled, and built his home when he was 32 years old, finishing within 10 months.
Mark Lindsey, left, and Terry Fox use rakes and paddles to move debris out from around a partially submerged pier on Lookout Shoals Lake.
Scott Tomlin, left, and his son Michael walk through nearly knee-deep water to reach Tomlin's boat dock on Lookout Shoals Lake.
Trash, foam floats from docks and driftwood littered Lookout Shoals Lake on Monday.
Libby Morgan goes through a box of her mother’s letters on Oct. 1, 2024, three days after Hurricane Helene. Libby and her husband, Jim, reminisced over memories from items that survived the flooding.
A waterlogged laptop sits beside a propane grill behind Pearl Shelton’s house in Old Fort on Wednesday. Floodwater from a nearby creek flooded much of the town during Hurricane Helene.
Mountain Top Shuttles does maintenance and repair work in Old Fort after Hurricane Helene caused damage.
Extensive debris littered Mill Creek in Old Fort one week after Hurricane Helene.
Part of Pitts Station Road in Marion that leads from U.S. Highway 221 to Baxter Manufacturing was severely damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Helene as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
American Thread Road in McDowell County was severely damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Helene, as seen on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Volunteers assemble food boxes and health care items at the Columbia Forest Products warehouse in Old Fort a week after Hurricane Helene hit. This year, some McDowell County residents said they are thankful for the way the community worked together after the storm.
Linoleum and area rugs were removed in early October from classrooms as crews begin to clean up Old Fort Elementary School after floodwaters from Hurricane Helene got into the building.
A culvert at Riverbend Park washed out by flooding during Hurricane Helene. The culvert cause three trails to be detoured in the park.
Brown Mountain Beach Resort employee Brett Gragg, 59, cuts a downed tree in half.
The riverbanks along the Catawba River Greenway near the Rocky Ford access were eroded by Hurricane Helene flooding.
Flood waters from Hurricane Helene eroded the land close to the Catawba River Greenway, tearing away some of the foundation for the walking trail.
Vultures sit on branches overlooking one of the spillways from Bridgewater Dam in Morganton on Oct. 29. During Hurricane Helene, water from Lake James crashed over the dam and spillways, flooding Powerhouse Road and surrounding areas.
The removal of the massive piles of debris left by Helene started Wednesday morning on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contracted company AshBritt Inc. are leading the effort.
The inside of Town Tavern, located in River Village shopping center in Morganton, has been gutted due to flooding from Hurricane Helene. TVs mounted on the wall reflect how high the water got inside, nearly reaching the ceiling.
The inside of Town Tavern restaurant was gutted due to the flooding from Hurricane Helene. Around 6 feet of water from the Catawba River made its way inside.
A fence collapsed onto the bleachers around a field at Catawba Meadows Park in Morganton during flooding from Hurricane Helene.
An ice cooler floated from the Town Tavern area of the Catawba River Greenway to the section of the greenway behind Catawba Meadows Park. Flood waters from Hurricane Helene left parts of the walkway covered in sand.
Potted shrubs are toppled to the ground from the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene on Sep. 27. Owner Mike Fitzgerald estimates that of 600 acres of land being used in production, at least 50% of the plants were damaged or dead.
Ollie's in Morganton has been cleaning up and repairing the store since it was flooded by Hurricane Helene at the end of September. Company officials have said the store will reopen.
People gathered on the Alexander County side of the N.C. Highway 16 bridge to take photos and videos of water pouring through Oxford Dam.
