BURNSVILLE, N.C. — One year after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the images remain seared into memory: homes ripped from their foundations, neighborhoods swallowed by rivers, and families forced to flee for their lives.

The tropical cyclone, which struck on September 27, 2024, killed nearly 200 people across the region and destroyed more than 125,000 buildings. Burnsville, a mountain town about 25 miles northeast of Asheville, was among the hardest hit.

For Jeffrey Silver, survival meant clinging to anything he could find as walls of water surged through his community.

“I just did what I had to do,” Silver said. “Had to knock off campers, oil barrels, propane tanks—everything to keep from knocking me down.”

Neighbors watched in horror as the flood overtook his pr

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