Hurricane Helene destroyed their local bridge, but residents must pay for its replacement

Jeff Hughes, a woodworker who makes caskets in Newland, North Carolina, takes great care in every cut and saw line — but there’s no easy way for him to get them to the funeral home.

That’s because the bridge he and his neighbors rely on to get to the main road was washed away by Hurricane Helene more than four months ago. The catastrophic storm devastated parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, killing more than 200 people and doing $60 billion in damage.

It also damaged or destroyed at least 130 private bridges in Avery County. County manager Phillip Barrier says in some places the river is wider now, which can add to the cost of these bridges. With no bridge to rely on, Hughes straps his caskets onto an ATV, drives them upstream and carries them over a footbridge.

“You’re looking at a good 45 minutes longer now than it would have been with a bridge to get it out,” Hughes said.

The bridge was not insured and Hughes received $3,000 from FEMA. Replacing the bridge, which isn’t owned by the town or the state, will cost Hughes and his four neighbors at least $100,000. 

“Our hope is that other large organizations, such as Samaritan’s Purse, Red Cross, the larger organizations like that, would come in and donate money on top of FEMA. And then we look to local charitable foundations to help us bridge the gap,” Ollis said.

Just across the North Carolina border, Tennessee resident Bobby Trivette donated a semi-truck trailer to serve as a temporary bridge over the river — the only access route to Poga, Tennessee. The hurricane destroyed the original bridges, leaving Poga isolated. The semi-truck bridge has since been replaced with a bridge made from railroad cars.

The people who live there, like Alex Matthews, have no idea if or when they’ll get a permanent bridge, making them feel forgotten about.

“We’re last on the list for everything,” Matthews said.

Across North Carolina, Helene damaged more than 7,000 private bridges, roads and culverts. They’re a critical part of the infrastructure, but right now the state isn’t providing money for repairs.

In the meantime, volunteers built a temporary bridge in front of Hughes’ home, helping to keep his business alive.

Dave Malkoff

Dave Malkoff is a national correspondent with the CBS Local News Innovation Lab, where his work appears across all CBS News and Station platforms.