VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — This week marks a year since Hurricane Helene devastated families in western North Carolina. Coastal Recovery Virginia, a nonprofit based in Virginia Beach, is continuing its mission to ensure those affected receive the help they need.
"This will be our eighth or ninth trip to western North Carolina," said Todd Woolston of Coastal Recovery Virginia.
Woolston has been hard at work over the past year as his church, Real Life Church on Princess Anne Road, along with several other local organizations, have come together in a grassroots effort to assist families impacted by natural disasters.
Most recently, the group donated an RV to a family in need of housing after Hurricane Helene.
Woolston says their work is far from over, as the devastating impacts from Helene still linger.
"While it's been a year since Hurricane Helene, it will still take a while before communities in western North Carolina return to normalcy," Woolston said. "I mean, it will be years before they're even back to normal. In fact, there are some areas nearby that still don't have grocery stores open. They have to go to other towns to get groceries."
On Tuesday, Woolston and his crew were prepping their new van, purchased with help from donors. They plan to use it to bring volunteers to the residential area of Swannanoa at the start of October to help residents get back into their homes.
For more information on how you could help Coastal Recovery Virginia with its mission, click here.
