Though they were seven hours away, their suffering felt like his own. He couldn’t bear the thought of watching his home swallowed by floodwaters, losing friends and family to a sudden disaster, or spending Thanksgiving alone,

Hurricane Helene hammered the southeast at the end of September, killing at least 62 people, but the long-term damage from the storm is still being felt in places like North Carolina. There, scores of people are facing eviction as the state struggles with a combination economic-housing crisis.

It’s been two months since Hurricane Helene cut a path of deadly destruction across the Southeast. Ahead of the holiday season, PBS News returned to the hard-hit region of western North Carolina, where despite the challenges they face rebuilding their lives,

Shawn Hendrix, a Mr. Beast employee, spoke to Top Story about ongoing relief efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. He noted significant cleanup and rebuilding progress but emphasized that those struggling before the storm are now facing even greater challenges.

Toys for Tots anticipates a greater need this year for donations in western North Carolina after the Helene disaster.

According to FEMA, 33 families have temporary homes to call their own in Western North Carolina as of Thanksgiving and nearly 500 families have been approved for housing. FEMA is paying hotel costs for almost 12,000 survivors in the state. The federal agency has already paid more than $ 940,000 to help survivors with their rent.

North Carolina is the country’s second-largest producer of Christmas trees, and most of Louisiana's live Christmas trees come from Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. It's the closest climate where popular species such as the Fraser and Turkish firs sold by the Pollard family can be grown.

Some tenants who could barely afford rent in western North Carolina before Hurricane Helene have fallen behind and are now facing the possibility of eviction.