Hurricane Helene caused disruption in North Carolina schools a year ago, with some students failing to return to class afterwards.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, thousands of students across western North Carolina found themselves displaced from their homes. One such student is 12-year-old Natalie Briggs, who had to navigate through a flood-damaged house by tightroping across a wooden beam. The hurricane's destruction left Natalie and her family living in her grandparents' basement, a stark contrast to their previous home.
The region saw a significant increase in student homelessness, with Yancey County experiencing the highest percentage increase. In fact, all but 15 of the 112 homeless students in Yancey County last school year were homeless due to Helene. Schools reopened before many students returned to their homes, causing learning and well-being issues for the region's children.
Natalie's mother, Barker, who is a health care worker, described the time as 'a time with no rules', as they had to deal with numerous challenges on top of their usual responsibilities. The circumstances sometimes led to friction between Barker and Natalie, but overall they managed to 'do pretty well' together.
For Natalie, the grief of losing almost everything, coupled with the tight quarters in her grandparents' basement, sometimes got to her. She often had panic attacks at school when she thought of her ruined home.
Bonnie Christine Goggins-Jones, a grandmother, and her grandchildren had to live in a motel, a leaky donated camper, and another camper before moving into a new apartment in June. America Sanchez Chavez, an 11-year-old girl, had to split up with her family to find housing after Hurricane Helene left their trailer home uninhabitable.
Gwendolyn Bode, a prelaw student at Appalachian State University, also experienced housing instability after Helene. She had to leave her mud-wrecked apartment complex due to the hurricane.
Despite the efforts of some districts to secure McKinney-Vento funding to help homeless students, some districts in North Carolina missed out on this crucial assistance. Nationally, only 1 in 5 school districts receives McKinney-Vento funding due to limited funds.
It's important to note that no information was found on organizations that joined in 2023 specifically to investigate the recoverability of school communities after natural disasters.
Helene damaged more than 73,000 homes in North Carolina, causing extended electricity and water outages. The spike in student homelessness serves as a stark reminder of the long-term effects of natural disasters on communities and the children within them.
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