One Month After Helene: Photos from the Front Lines

It has been a month since Hurricane Helene devastated communities across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia. In the aftermath, SBP’s disaster response team has been on the ground in some of the hardest-hit communities in West Central Florida, working to help families pick up the pieces. Next week, we will deploy our Disaster Corps team to western North Carolina to support AmeriCorps’s national Disaster Services Unit with muck and gut operations in communities ravaged by Helene. 

This week, we captured photographs that document our team’s efforts and offer a glimpse into the immediate struggles Florida homeowners face on the long road to recovery.

Gutting a Home After Flooding

Floodwaters carry more than just rain. When they surge into a home, they bring mud, chemicals, sewage, and contaminants. Our disaster response team removes every wet and damaged item—everything from waterlogged drywall and insulation to ruined furniture and flooring. Mold can start growing within just 48 hours, so crews have to move fast, ripping out the interior of homes to stop further damage.

This initial work is critical to the long-term recovery process: A cleaned-out, construction-ready home allows for faster, more cost-effective rebuilding.

Stripping a Home to Its Bones

Cleaning out a home after a hurricane with major flooding involves more than just throwing out spoiled food from the refrigerator. Often, the refrigerator itself has to go, along with the cabinets, countertops, and anything else that’s been contaminated by floodwaters. For many families, this process is traumatic and emotionally exhausting.

The Pain of Letting Go

The hardest part of the muck-and-gut process isn’t the physical labor of removing debris, it’s the emotional toll of losing a lifetime of cherished personal belongings. Every ruined photo album, every family heirloom, every beloved collection of books or toys, every piece of furniture has a story. When disaster survivors face loss and damage to their homes, possessions, and communities, the impact can be overwhelming.

The Long Journey Home

The road to recovery will be long and challenging for communities devastated by Helene—especially for those that were hit by Milton just two weeks later. Rebuilding homes and restoring lives after such enormous devastation takes time, resources, and immense resilience. SBP intends to help as many affected families recover, rebuild, and return home as possible.

Our Response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton

SBP’s immediate disaster recovery plans involve six states:

Florida

• SBP is actively responding in Florida’s greater Tampa area with muck and gut operations.
• SBP has launched free programs to help survivors submit FEMA applications and appeals in the 34 counties and one tribal territory where a federal disaster was declared.
• SBP is supporting local officials with disaster recovery plans.
• SBP has been working in Florida since 2018, helping communities rebuild after Hurricanes Michael, Ian, Idalia, and Debby.

North Carolina and South Carolina

• In western North Carolina, we will deploy our Disaster Corps team in early November to support AmeriCorps’ national Disaster Services Unit with muck-and-gut operations in affected communities.
• SBP is actively assessing damage in western North Carolina and has launched free programs to help survivors submit FEMA applications and appeals in 25 counties and one tribal territory where a federal disaster was declared. 
• In South Carolina, SBP has launched free programs to help survivors submit FEMA applications and appeals in 13 counties where a federal disaster was declared. 
• SBP has provided disaster recovery services in both North Carolina and South Carolina in recent years, including rebuilding homes, delivering technical assistance to local government officials, and strengthening the capacity of local partners

Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia

• SBP has launched free programs to help survivors submit FEMA applications and appeals in the counties where a federal disaster was declared.

Help us support communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Please donate now to help build the way home for the most vulnerable families.

(Photos: Douglas Kalagian for SBP)