VILAS, N.C. -- "I've been here 45 years. I wasn't going anywhere."
On September 27, Hurricane Helene struck Watauga County. That morning, Howard Gilliam was asleep in his bed. He had weathered strong storms in his northwest Carolina family home before and intended to do so again.
"Well, I didn't really think much of it. I thought it was going to blow through like [Hurricane] Hugo," Gilliam said. "But, because of the rain, all of the trees started uprooting -- the large trees. And one fell on my house and shifted the house on the foundation."
Around 8 a.m., a tree crashed through the roof, landing just feet from his bed. The impact woke him instantly and left him shocked for several minutes.
"The water was pouring through so fast, I knew I had to stop the water from coming in," he said.
Crews work to remove a large tree that feel through Gilliam's roof
The next day, a nearby neighbor -- a Blowing Rock police officer -- and his family walked up to Gilliam's home and helped cover the tree and hole in the roof with a tarp.
In the wake of Helene, North Carolina experienced the deadliest and costliest hurricane in its history. The storm claimed more than 100 lives statewide, including two in Watauga County. Weather reports showed heavy rain and flooding caused widespread damage across the region.
With nearby roads washed out, Gilliam relied on the kindness of neighbors and disaster relief groups as days stretched into weeks and weeks into months. During that time, Samaritan's Purse delivered food and water to Gilliam and checked in regularly on his well-being.
Post-Helene damage to Gilliam's longtime home in Vilas, N.C.
Gilliam says he first heard about the Renew NC housing recovery program on the radio. The ad mentioned a phone number, so he called and was given more information about the Single-Family Housing Program and application process. He later visited the Renew NC intake center in Boone for help completing his application.
"They walked me through it. I was the first person who had come in," Gilliam said. "[Renew NC staff] told me to come into the office anytime if I had questions. Everybody at Renew is just outstanding."
The Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program is part of North Carolina's long-term disaster recovery effort to help western communities recover from Hurricane Helene. The program is administered by the N.C. Department of Commerce Division of Community Revitalization and funded through a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Launched in June 2025, the Single-Family Housing Program has received more than 7,000 applications for housing recovery assistance.
A Renew NC case manager helps Gilliam with grant agreement.
Gilliam returned to the Boone center in October 2025 to sign his award letter and grant agreement. Over the following months, he regularly visited the construction site as his new two-bedroom, two-bath home was constructed by Brizo Construction. The home includes a ramp from the parking pad to the front door and an ADA-compliant bathroom, as well.
"Oh, I came every day," Gilliam said. "It was really interesting. I learned a lot. Brizo -- their whole team -- was really, really nice. And they took the time to answer all of my questions.
Construction faced delays due to severe winter weather. Watauga County received more than 12 inches of snow between January 30 and February 1, 2026, during what the North Carolina State Climate Office described as "a statewide snowstorm for the ages." Ice and high winds added further challenges.
A celebration to welcome Gilliam to his new Renew NC home
On a sunny day in early April, Gilliam was joined by Renew NC staff and the Brizo team as he received the keys to his new home.
"It's really exciting and I can't wait to come home," Gilliam said.
Renew NC's Brianna Fett said, "What an honor to be able to be in attendance to welcome Mr. Howard into his brand-new home! I've had the absolute privilege of being able to assist him on his path to Helene recovery since his very first visit to the Boone office."
Gilliam moved into his home the next day. What's he looking forward to next?
"Well now, I'm gonna be looking for all of my animals that are coming out of hibernation that are my pets, pretty much. Snakes and the turkeys, and my crows that I feed all winter, I know they've missed me."
To learn more about the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program, visit the CommerceRecovery.nc.gov website.