VALLE CRUCIS, N.C. — A year after Hurricane Helene ripped through Watauga County, families in Valle Crucis are still living with the storm’s aftermath.

For Sharon and Steve Breitenstein, the bridge that once connected their neighborhood to the rest of the community was swept away, leaving them cut off for weeks after the storm.

“The low-water bridge had survived all those other storms, but big trees, root balls just took it out,” Sharon Breitenstein said.

Built in 1966, the wooden bridge was more than 110 feet long. When Helene hit, the river behind their home rose 25 feet higher than normal, flooding fields and washing out the bridge entirely.

“We were all stuck back here for 14 or more days until we could get something temporary,” Breitenstein said. “We were going across just barely

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