Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program serves Hurricane Helene and Western Maryland storm survivors

By Sharon Franzen and Kim Gingerich of the staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries

The Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program is transitioning toward recovery from 2024’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, beginning in April 2026 when it is serving survivors in Ashe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties.

For over three years, beginning in October 2022, Brethren Disaster Ministries ran short- and long-term projects in Kentucky. The projects responded to devastating flooding in July 2022 in the south and southeastern part of the state, and to tornadoes that hit western Kentucky in the Dawson Springs area in December 2021. With the closing of the Letcher County, Ky., project in partnership with HOMES, Inc., at the end of March 2026, Brethren Disaster Ministries moved its projects to North Carolina, bringing its skilled leadership and volunteers to serve hurricane survivors.

Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in northeastern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, 2024, was one of the costliest and deadliest storms on record. It caused more than 250 deaths and at least $78.7 billion in damages, with the economic impact being much higher. The storm moved across six states, causing death and destruction even as it was eventually downgraded to a tropical storm.

*This new home is being built by Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers in Henderson County, N.C., for a Hurricane Helene survivor. Photo by Donald Pohlman*

Helene stalled over western North Carolina, where a previous storm had already saturated the ground. Up to 30 inches of rain, winds, flooding, and mud/landslides damaged or destroyed infrastructure, thousands of homes, buildings, roads, and bridges, and left millions of people without access to water, electricity, communications, and health care facilities.

While Children’s Disaster Services, which is the Brethren Disaster Ministries program of first response, quickly sent volunteers to North Carolina to care for children in shelters and assistance centers, the Rebuilding Program was unable to begin its assistance until local long-term recovery groups were ready. Those groups provide coordination, funding, and case management. Brethren Disaster Ministries staff began working to identify rebuilding partners.

A focus on Hurricane Helene recovery

The first opportunity to help survivors was with a two-week project in Spruce Pine, N.C., in May 2025, working with the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (WNCCUMC). Volunteers worked to repair a home for a couple. The husband was battling cancer. His wife visited the job site, and when she showed him photos of the work, she said he “was so appreciative of everything being done and was amazed at the progress.” The home has since been completed and a Brethren Disaster Ministries quilt was included as part of the house blessing.

Another opportunity to assist Helene survivors developed in Johnson County, Tenn., where volunteers worked from September to November 2025 with partner International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the Johnson County Long Term Recovery Group. The volunteers served 11 families with home repairs.

With Brethren Disaster Ministries’ new focus on Hurricane Helene recovery, rebuilding volunteers recently traveled to western North Carolina. A two-week project began in Ashe County on April 12, working with WNCCUMC to build a new home for a couple whose house was destroyed by a mudslide during Helene. The couple are both in wheelchairs, with the husband being a paraplegic.

Although their new home was to be completed by the end of March, many delays meant that when Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers arrived it was still at the foundation stage. After two weeks of work, significant progress was made even though a delay in the delivery of trusses was yet another holdup. Despite the challenges, the homeowners remain very upbeat and excited and have been on the jobsite almost every day cheering on the volunteers. They even recorded the driving in of the first nail, along with all of the daily progress. Other volunteer groups will soon finish the house and allow this family to move in—more than a year and a half after the storm.

An eight-week rebuilding project in North Carolina also began on April 12, with a June 6 date for scheduled closing. Volunteers are working in partnership with two local Habitat for Humanity affiliates: Henderson County and Thermal Belt Habitat, and the Transylvania County Habitat. Volunteers are housed at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville. The congregation was very excited to host volunteers and already is planning improvements to the facility to enable the church to continue to house volunteers in the future. Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers will be working on both home repairs and new builds in this area.

Plans are ongoing to move to additional Hurricane Helene recovery sites in North Carolina for the remainder of 2026, and possibly beyond. Final preparations are underway for a possible 10-week site in Yancey County, beginning June 7. More details will be available soon about this site and new sites for the fall.

Western Maryland flood recovery

While the Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program maintains at least one long-term project at a time, short-term projects often are available in the spring and fall. From April 26-May 2, a one-week project will be held in Western Maryland’s Allegany County in response to a flash flood that occurred the afternoon of May 13, 2025. It resulted in extensive damage. More than five inches of rain fell in a short period of time in a steep mountainous region, causing fast, forceful waters to overflow the banks of creeks and rivers, and significant damage to property, homes, businesses, roads, and utilities.

Both the West Marva and Mid-Atlantic Districts of the Church of the Brethren have supported relief and recovery from the May flooding through volunteers, relief items, and funding. West Marva district disaster coordinator Denny Skeweris also serves on the Western Maryland Long Term Recovery Group, with which Brethren Disaster Ministries is partnering on this short response. Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers will repair several homes and will stay at Savage Mountain Youth Center in Lonaconing, Md.

For more information about Brethren Disaster Ministries and about how to volunteer with the Rebuilding Program go to www.brethren.org/bdm

*Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers work on a new home for a couple whose house was destroyed during Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Photo by Jim Hollen*

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