Ashe County Recovery & Restoration

Next Phase of Ashe County Recovery & Restoration

September 11, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ashe County Recovery & Restoration Announces Next Phase of Long-Term Recovery Effort

Jefferson, NC — Community leaders are coming together to strengthen long-term disaster recovery efforts in Ashe County through the continued growth of Ashe County Recovery & Restoration, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene.

Ashe County Recovery & Restoration will continue serving as the county’s long-term recovery organization, bringing together nonprofit partners, faith-based organizations, businesses, government agencies, and volunteers to coordinate resources, identify unmet needs, and support survivors as recovery continues.

Ashe County Recovery & Restoration is thankful for their ongoing partner relationships with UMCOR, Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, United Way, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, NC Community Foundation, and countless other nonprofits, businesses, faith-based organizations, and individuals who answered the call to assist Ashe County in this time of recovery and restoration.

“In the wake of the storm, it became clear to me without concerted effort to assist people in recovering from the storm, we would end up with even more people in a housing crisis then we already had. It was such a beautiful experience to have so many people coming together to form the first LTRG in Ashe County. Neighbors joined together and welcomed people from all over to work together to assist those devastated by the storm. We brought in close to a million dollars with the newly formed nonprofit, and the disaster case management unit was able to assist over a hundred households regain stable, safe, and healthy homes.

As many families still continue in their recovery process, it is now time to pass the baton to a new group of dedicated, community minded individuals to continue this important work. Although the emotional memory of this terrible storm may take some time to heal, we must continue to ensure the physical devastation left by Hurricane Helene is repaired and work to prepare our community for the next potential storm,” said Tracie McMillan, founder and past Chair of Ashe County Recovery & Restoration.

As part of this transition, disaster case management services will continue through new partnerships to ensure residents with ongoing recovery needs receive personalized assistance and support. The organization will also continue building a diverse volunteer board that reflects communities across Ashe County and provides strong local leadership for the years ahead.

“This next chapter is about collaboration,” said Randy Revis, incoming Chair of Ashe County Recovery & Restoration.

The organization remains committed to:

* Coordinating long-term disaster recovery efforts across Ashe County.

* Supporting individuals and families with unmet recovery needs.

* Strengthening partnerships among nonprofits, churches, businesses, and government agencies.

* Seeking grants, donations, and volunteers to sustain recovery efforts.

* Building community resilience for future disasters.

Residents who continue to experience unmet needs related to Hurricane Helene are encouraged to reach out for assistance. Community members interested in volunteering, serving on the board, partnering with the organization, or making a tax-deductible donation are also encouraged to get involved.

Recovery takes an entire community. Together, Ashe County Recovery & Restoration is committed to ensuring that no neighbor is left behind.

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Long Term Recovery Group holds community fair

(photo credit & excerpt: Ashe Post & Times)

JEFFERSON — An Ashe County Resource Fair was held on Thursday, Feb.13, by the Ashe County Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) at the Jefferson United Methodist Church as a way to connect residents affected by Hurricane Helene with the resources they would need to rebuild and recover from the storm.

This was the second event held by the LTRG. The first was held back in January. Both events have helped over 100 residents combined.

The LTRG collaborated with over 10 nonprofits and organizations to bring those resources to a centralized location for residents, Alyssa Triplett said.

Visit Ashe Post & Times for the full article:

Local long-term disaster recovery group holds resource fair | News | ashepostandtimes.com

Long Term Recovery Group Updates

Long Term Recovery Group

The Ashe County Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is continuing to work ongoing to assist the county with efforts to recovery and restoration. The LTRG meets twice per month and is comprised of local government, small business representatives, local heroes, volunteers, and community stakeholders who have been doing great work across Ashe County in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

LTRG’s are community-specific groups made up of representatives from faith-based, nonprofit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families as they recover from a disaster. The work of the LTRG in Ashe will continue as the road to recovery will indeed take time.

The mission statement for Ashe County LTRG is: To meet the needs of all individuals, families and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene in Ashe County by strengthening communication, coordination and collaboration while providing long-term recovery services and support.

A few key reminders:
-FEMA’s deadline for Individual Disaster Assistance has been extended until 02/06/2025. If you've not applied, you may do so by 1) calling 800-621-3362, 2) online at www.disasterassistance.gov or 3) in-person at the Disaster Recovery Center at Ashe Family Central

-Temporary Shelter Assistance: The upcoming deadline for TSA affects survivors who are no longer eligible for this assistance, per the criteria (1-3) below. In most cases, they lose eligibility because their home is deemed safe to reside in. The deadline does not reflect the end of TSA support.

-Survivors who remain eligible, per criteria (1-3) below, may remain in TSA lodging paid by FEMA.

-FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance program is providing hotel rooms to thousands of Western North Carolina survivors of Tropical Storm Helene. FEMA has begun notifications to families checked into hotel or motel rooms who are no longer eligible for the program because of any of the following reasons:
    1. An inspection indicated their home is now habitable.
    2. They declined an inspection.
    3. FEMA has been unable to contact the applicant to update their housing needs, despite multiple attempts.

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