Months After Hurricane Helene, North Carolinians Struggle To Find Housing

"SWANNANOA, N.C. — Before the remnants of Hurricane Helene swamped this town, the Super 8 Motel, wedged between a highway and the Swannanoa River, provided affordable short and long-term housing for dozens of people who couldn't find affordable housing elsewhere.

Now, it's like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, frozen in time. A thick layer of mud covers the area.

Kim Maisch points to a section of the motel that shifted and landed in the river. "We are actually standing in the middle of where a foundation was for one of the hotel sections," she says. "We are looking at rooms shifted off, cars open, mud, debris everywhere, insulation hanging from the ceilings. Room 222 was my dad's room.""

Greg Allen and Marisa Peñaloza report for NPR June 2, 2025.