Searching for Help

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and only 12 minutes from Asheville, North Carolina, the small town of Swannanoah faced the power of Hurricane Helene, not standing a chance against the flooded river that swept their homes. Hundreds of people were forced to flee their communities, and hundreds more are living in campers amidst the ruins today.

Amid a now-abandoned neighborhood, one camper stands alone. A year ago, more than 20 houses filled this neighborhood with life. After Sept. 28, 2024, Hurricane Helene forced people out of this community and out of their homes. Except for one family who owns their property, fighting to rebuild, living in a donated camper as they cling to remnants of their home.

Eddy Campos woke up early in the morning to find his house rapidly flooding. He quickly grabbed his three children and rushed them to his work truck to escape. As he drove through  Swannanoah, he was met with a scene of houses being swept away and a relentless current. When they were finally in safety inside, Campos and his kids could do nothing but watch as the devastation unfolded. 

“We got out, and then we parked there and watched what was happening,” Campos said. “I had a work truck here in this same space, and when I saw it and got out, I said, ‘This doesn’t look good.’ It was very bad.” 

Campos moved to North Carolina from Mexico because of the scenery and mountains that remind him of his hometown. After purchasing their property and building their home, they had just finished their dream renovations. Now, after the storm, they mourn not just the home they lost but the life they never truly had the chance to enjoy within its walls. 

“At that moment, your heart breaks,” Campos said. “We bought it 12 years ago. We had just remodeled everything inside and made everything really nice, and we had a playground for the kids in that area. Everything is gone, everything is gone.” 

Campos and his family fled their home and were able to stay at a retirement home where his wife worked. They were given an apartment with plenty of space for their family. Thankfully, Campos and his family were able to move back onto their property after a few months, as a woman from Utah massed donated campers to Hurricane Helene victims, Campos and his family being one of those families. 

Once returning to their now destroyed home and community, they made it a priority to clean their property as fast as possible. With his brother, Campos rented a machine for a month to do just that. Campos covered the diesel price, and his brother covered the rent for the machine, and they cleaned up their house and the area surrounding it. 

“We were cleaning for a month, and first comes first, and you don’t even know what’s happening,” Campos said. “You don’t know if there’s help or not. We focused on cleaning up after ourselves. We started helping people, and by the time we went looking for help, it was probably too late.” 

Because of this, when they set out to rebuild their home, they didn’t know where to seek help. Signing up for food stamps for the first time helped them secure the meals they needed. While Campos and his family are grateful for the food donations they have received, they are overwhelmed by the amount of food, as financial support to rebuild their home is a bigger necessity. 

“What you need is financial help to be able to rebuild your house,” Campos said. “You won’t rebuild it with food. I know that food is what you have plenty of. But they bring you food and food, and it’s good, and you get it. Well, we don’t need food or clothes; a house is what you need.” 

Waiting for financial support, the overwhelming amount of food donations has pushed Campos and his family to donate the same food somewhere else. 

“That’s enough for a month of food,” Campos said. “They bring us lots and leave them, and the last of it we take to a donation because we don’t need it. With beans, rice, we’re from the ranch. Having beans, rice, and tortillas, that’s the best.” 

At first, Campos was hesitant to speak about his experience. But he grew more comfortable sharing his story in Spanish, his native tongue. He described how countless news outlets have interviewed him, promising support to build his home. Yet, the help never came. 

“I don’t think they care,” Campos said. “I think they just come for themselves and that’s it. Cause what have they helped us with? With everyone who came to interview us, they said, ‘We’re going to help you.’ But the only ones who actually benefit are them. The damned stays damned.” 

Campos is currently waiting for paperwork to get accepted from the state in order for a local church group to help him rebuild his home. He’s thankful for all the help he and his family have gotten.

“I think the people who help the most are people from outside, from different places,” Campos said. “A lot of people came here from all over Canada, from Alaska, and even from all over the world. They came from all over to help.” 

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This story is part of a semester-long investigative reporting project into the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. It was created by an advanced reporting class in the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies program at UW-Milwaukee. Other stories from the project are available here.

This work was made possible through the support of MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.