Operation Blessing Plans to Build 175 Homes for Asheville Victims of Hurricane Helene

[Pelican Press 0]

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Operation Blessing Plans to Build 175 Homes for Asheville Victims of Hurricane Helene

It’s been 53 days since Hurricane Helene ripped through Western North Carolina. The storm surge washed away quaint towns, businesses, and memories for many of the people living in towns like Asheville, Burnsville, and ****** Mountain.

The daily search for food and water has slightly eased for some residents due to a boil advisory that was lifted just days ago for more than 100,000 residents.

But as the temperatures drop, residents are concerned with how to survive the winter. 

“While people are getting prepared for Thanksgiving and joyous occasions. Here, it’s a game of survival every day for the people of this region and surrounding mountain towns,” explained Operation Blessing Media Liaison Hayley Henson. 

Henson shared the

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describing what life has been like for people, including herself, in the Asheville area.

“We don’t get to leave this disaster zone. It’s our reality every day,” she said. 

The deadly Category 4 storm tore through western North Carolina as well as Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia.

According to the

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, there were 103 verified storm-related fatalities as of Thursday. And more than 200 people were still unaccounted for in Buncombe County at the start of October. 

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Many residents left their residences with just the clothes on their backs to escape safely. But they returned to just fragments and remnants of the places they used to call home. 

“There is still debris. There are still people unaccounted for. Their families are still searching for them,” Henson shared. “In Burnsville, NC people are living in tents because everything was washed away and people don’t even know if they can rebuild due to imminent domain.”

Helping people survive the cold weather is a top priority of Operation Blessing.

Drew Friedrich, OB’s Chief Operating Officer, recently announced the organization is partnering with World Vision and other groups to build more than 175 homes for residents.

“Many people are out of their homes and that is a dangerous place to be during this seasonal change,” he shared in a

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post from the Swannanoa Valley, one of the hardest-hit areas.

“Not only did the Swannanoa Valley and the Swannanoa River overflow and rise about 20 feet. You had water rushing down this mountain, destroying homes, destroying properties, destroying businesses,” Friedrich said.

“I never thought I’d be living in a tent, but here I am,” resident Joe Bryant recently told

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. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I’ve seen disasters like this on TV my whole life, but I never thought I’d be living it.”

“We are going to help this community get back on their feet and begin to rebuild,” Friedrich shared. 

As CBN News reported, Operation Blessing is also helping woodworkers get back to work just before the holidays. 

They have helped set up an 8,000-square-foot workspace where they can make and sell their goods while their permanent studio and gallery are rebuilt.

“Who’s the biggest creator we know? ****, you know,” said Henson. “We’re going to be able to help these families who lost their only way of income.”

Additionally, Operation Blessing has given residents hundreds of hot meals to those in need. 

Henson says prayer has had the biggest impact. 

“It’s the prayer, it’s that hug it’s that letting people know that they’re not alone. That’s probably one of the biggest things that you can really provide people’s empathy and support when they feel hopeless,” she explained. “And there’s more to come.”  

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#Operation #Blessing #Plans #Build #Homes #Asheville #Victims #Hurricane #Helene

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