Reflections on the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene
Marketing & Communications Dept.
Two years after Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina continues to persevere and rebuild.
As we reflect on the storm and its lasting impact, we remember the lives lost, the bravery of first responders, and the families and communities forever changed. We also recognize the remarkable progress made through the collective efforts of local organizations, businesses, governments, volunteers, residents, and institutions across the region.
The latest assessments from the N.C. Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina illustrate both the scale of the challenge and the progress made. The storm caused nearly $60 billion in damage across North Carolina, damaged or destroyed more than 73,000 homes, damaged approximately 9,000 road sites, and claimed more than 100 lives. Today, nearly 99% of state-maintained roads have reopened, and more than 17.2 million cubic yards of debris have been removed. Many downtown communities are open and welcoming visitors and customers again. Yet significant work remains, particularly in housing, infrastructure, economic recovery, disaster mitigation, and our rural communities.
At Blue Ridge Community College, we know rebuilding also requires a workforce prepared to support the region’s recovery and future. Over the past two years, the College has distributed more than $2.5 million in emergency grants and scholarships to help students facing storm-related housing instability, job loss, vehicle loss, and other urgent needs. Additionally, in the past academic year alone, the College’s Educational Foundation and Financial Aid offices awarded more than $663,000 in scholarships. This support has helped students overcome significant challenges, stay on track, and pursue credentials that can strengthen both their own futures and the region’s workforce.
The College continues to engage with employers and form new partnerships that help shape training in high-demand fields, including engineering, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, public safety, and the skilled trades. Through collaborations such as Good Jobs WNC, we are working to build stronger talent development systems across the region and create more opportunities for people to build better lives through good jobs. At the same time, Blue Ridge’s short-term programs, such as Level Up: Core Construction and the Electrical Academy, are helping people quickly gain skills for careers connected to the region’s needs.
Two years after Helene, there is much to celebrate and much work ahead. Recovery will take time, but Western North Carolina has demonstrated what is possible when communities come together with purpose and determination.
We are #WNCStrong.
Featured Stories: Two Years After
Blue Ridge Community College highlights role in Good Jobs WNC and continued Helene recovery during national summit
On September 23, 2026, Blue Ridge Community College welcomed national and North Carolina philanthropists to campus for a summit focused on Good Jobs Western North Carolina (WNC), a locally led regional collaboration among 11 community colleges that will help residents across the 23-county region secure good jobs in high-demand sectors, including engineering, healthcare, skilled trades, and manufacturing.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we have been reminded that recovery is not simply about rebuilding roads, bridges, homes, and businesses. True recovery is also about rebuilding opportunity,” Blue Ridge President Dr. Laura Leatherwood said during the summit.
Building Bridges, Rebuilding Western North Carolina: Hannah Hedrick’s Engineering Journey
If you ask Hedrick what’s most rewarding about her job, she’ll tell you it’s about rebuilding structures for her region – her home.
“I’m helping rebuild what was taken away,” she said. “There’s something about building a structure that is hopefully going to withstand the next storm, but it’s also something that becomes part of your community, something that everyone rallies around.”
Blue Ridge Celebrates Graduates of Two Local Workforce Development Programs
On July 30, 2026, Blue Ridge Community College proudly celebrated two graduation ceremonies: the most recent cohort of Level Up: Core Construction, a tuition-free, accelerated workforce training program offered in partnership with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and Lowe’s, and the Summer Electrical Academy through Careers Electric, created by North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) with support from the Siemens Foundation. Both programs provide rapid, short-term training to help graduates quickly enter the workforce in fields critical for continued Helene recovery work.
Blue Ridge graduate Victoria Dmytryszyn honored for academic excellence and resilience
Blue Ridge President Dr. Laura B. Leatherwood honored Dmytryszyn during the College’s May 9 graduation ceremony, where she graduated summa cum laude with an associate in science college transfer degree, earning a GPA of 3.93. Her academic accomplishments followed a season marked by extraordinary personal challenges. In 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated her home, forcing her to navigate the disruption while continuing her education.
“Our house was devastated by seven feet of water, and the College was actually able to help,” she explained.
Blue Ridge Community College Small Business Center Honored with Statewide Award for Hurricane Recovery Success Story
In the fall of 2025, Blue Ridge’s Small Business Center earned a 2025 “Business Success Story – Overcoming Challenges” Award from the North Carolina Community College System’s Small Business Center Network (SBCN). The honor was announced in a statewide news release of the North Carolina Community College System, which highlighted exemplary innovation, collaboration, and impact across North Carolina’s 58 community college–based centers. The award-winning story was a collaborative effort between Blue Ridge Community College’s Marketing and Communications Department and the Small Business Center.
Blue Ridge’s Library shares Voices of Resilience, a Helene-focused oral history project
Last year, the Blue Ridge Community College Library’s Oral History Project, preserved within the College Archives, invited students, faculty, and staff to share their stories of Hurricane Helene and its aftermath. The project preserves personal experiences as a living time capsule, honoring our community’s shared resilience and creating a lasting record for future generations. Learn more about the College’s Archive at www.blueridge.edu/archive.
Blue Ridge Community College hosts Governor’s Advisory Committee for WNC Recovery
On Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, Blue Ridge Community College welcomed the North Carolina Governor’s Advisory Committee on WNC Recovery to campus. This bipartisan group of community leaders from across the western region advises Governor Josh Stein and the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western NC on strategies to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Prior to the meeting, the governor made a special announcement that he is requesting $13.5 billion in new federal funding from Congress for Hurricane Helene recovery. According to the news release, “those dollars will go toward restoring homes and small businesses, supporting local government services, and rebuilding roads and bridges for the long haul.”
Winds of Change: Film students release Helene documentary
Blue Ridge film students and faculty created a powerful 30-minute documentary on Hurricane Helene’s devastation and the resilience of WNC. The film shares the stories of more than 20 voices to capture how the community came together during one of its most challenging times.
Blue Ridge Student, Helene Survivor Stephanie White Speaks at Statewide NC Community Colleges Event
“It pulled the trees right up from their roots, washed away our roads, created rockslides, and pushed heavy rain straight through the shingles of our rooftop, flooding water into the bedroom of my infant and toddler. We were stranded for weeks without power,” White said. “There was no water to make my daughter’s formula, and no way to communicate with family. Helicopters buzzed overhead day and night. Our food was limited. It would be weeks before help would come, so my fiance and I dug out the chainsaw and started slowly cutting our way down the mountain.”
Read more: Reflections from One Year After Helene
Last year, we marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene with a special communication from the President’s Office. It included a letter from President Leatherwood and stories highlighting the College’s response to the storm, the challenges our community faced, and the resilience that shaped our recovery.
myCanvas