Rebuilding Hope

Western North Carolina recovery continues as new home builds begin.

Gerald Hodges understands the needs of western North Carolina because he grew up among its people.

After retiring from the pastorate in the summer of 2024, Hodges moved back to the mountains just a few months
before Hurricane Helene struck. Little did Hodges know that his return home would lead him into disaster relief ministry. Now he serves with N.C. Baptists on Mission at one of its five rebuild centers in western North Carolina, helping coordinate ongoing recovery efforts across the region.

“We’re doing work for homeowners who simply have nowhere else to turn,” Hodges said.

Now more than a year after Helene devastated the region, Hodges sees the exhaustion in his neighbors. “They’re just tired,” Hodges said. “Many tried to repair their homes themselves, but the money ran out. Some are still living in very difficult conditions.”

One such homeowner is Loretta Swafford of Boone. After Baptists on Mission began repairs on her storm-damaged home, it became clear the destruction was too severe to continue. Instead of repairing what ultimately couldn’t be saved, the team made the decision to construct an entirely new home, one of the first of several new builds now in progress across the region.

“Loretta is in her mid-70s and was working two jobs when we started,” Hodges said. “She didn’t have the resources to rebuild, and she didn’t receive insurance money. We’re providing a service she couldn’t get anywhere else, and she’s overjoyed.” Loretta’s gratitude shines through in her gestures. She often texts Hodges to let him know she’s left donuts or homemade chili and cornbread for the volunteers working on her home.

With the combined efforts of experienced carpenters and other volunteers eager to help, Swafford’s freshly framed home now stands as a symbol of what a reconstruction looks like when God’s people show up. Her new home will soon be finished and work will continue or commence on others.

Late in 2025, Baptists on Mission began reconstructing homes from the ground up as part of its long-term rebuilding efforts in western North Carolina. In addition to the more than 650 homes that Baptists on Mission volunteers have completed work on in the aftermath of Helene, volunteers have started building about a dozen brand new homes.

The work, which will continue in western North Carolina for years to come, gives homeowners like Swafford a fresh start.

Not in this Alone

In Spruce Pine, the Freemans faced the difficult task of saying goodbye to a home that had been in their family for three generations. Hurricane Helene dropped more than two feet of water in and around Spruce Pine, washing away many of the family’s possessions. But the storm didn’t wash away the Freeman’s resolve. “Trees were falling everywhere, and water just poured down the hillside, pushing everything in its path,” Kendra Freeman said.

Despite the hardship, the Freemans clung to their faith.

“As hard as this has been, it means the world to know we’re not in this alone,” Freeman said.

In January, the Freemans will see the first walls of their new home rise up on their family land, a new structure being built where the old one once stood, representing strength and safety for the future.

For Linda and Sam Pitman, coordinating the rebuilding efforts for Baptists on Mission in Spruce Pine is deeply personal. As lifelong residents of the town, the Pitmans know many of the families who have been affected by Helene. “We’ve never seen a storm like this in western North Carolina, and mountain people aren’t used to asking for help. That’s the hardest part.” Linda Pitman said. “You can’t just leave a family in a situation like this.”

But watching new homes take shape has been a powerful reminder that recovery is possible.

A New Beginning

Barbara Waldrup’s story is one of perseverance. Unable to sift through the remains of her home after Helene, she endured another blow when a water heater damaged by the storm exploded, causing a fire that destroyed what was left. “When you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did,” Waldrup said. “But I never gave up.”

Waldrup hopes to recover a portrait of her mother that was painted in Austria. Even if she doesn’t, she remains optimistic. “We’ve lost pretty much everything, but there’s always a new beginning,” Waldrup said.

For Waldrup, that new beginning is literally being built before her eyes, being constructed from the foundation up.

“Just being home, it’s going to be my anchor,” Waldrup said. “This shows you have people who love you and will hold onto you. I’m just so excited to even think about it.”

For Linda Pitman, the joy of seeing people’s lives restored comes from a long history of helping people in need.

“It feels like I’m part of a chain link fence,” Pitman said. “But it’s a fence made up of people holding hands, saying, ‘We’re here to help. You’re not alone.’”

And that chain grows stronger with each new home and life that is rebuilt.