SWANNANOA, N.C. — Two weeks after Hurricane Helen, an eerie silence hangs over the small town of Swannanoa, North Carolina.
Cars covered in mud still lie like corpses along the highway. On Sunday, the church was empty after the roof partially collapsed.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
The walls of the houses have collapsed, exposing overturned furniture and dirty stuffed animals, revealing who lived there.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Power lines remain down, many homes and businesses remain without power or water, and many people are unable to leave their homes to retrieve supplies as roads have been washed away.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
The small town of Swannanoa was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Helen, but has made little progress in recovering.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Some refuse to leave and live in tents along the river or in parking lots.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Six sites, run entirely by citizen volunteers, have sprung up in the region to collect and distribute donations. Survivors drive there to pick up water, pet food and other supplies. With winter just around the corner, you'll need propane tanks, generators, and other cold-weather essentials.
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Christina Wong/Breitbart News
Hurricane Helen was the worst storm to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina, making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on September 27, before moving north through Georgia and slamming into the mountains of western North Carolina. There, it overwhelmed rivers and drainage systems, causing unusual flash floods and landslides. At least 95 people have been confirmed dead in North Carolina.
One volunteer said more than 1,000 people were still missing.
Volunteers feel that the national media moved forward almost as quickly as the hurricane moved through the area.
It will take months, even years, for the town to rebuild.
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