BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. -- About five years ago, this homeowner bought a home on the eastern side of the town as an investment in his future. He never could have imagined that a tropical storm packing hurricane-force winds, historic rainfall, and catastrophic flooding would one day leave his home in ruins.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the homeowner turned to his family -- and Renew NC -- for help. The homeowner's father, a retired assistant district attorney, and mother, an artist, had moved from upstate Ohio to North Carolina about 10 years ago and eventually settled in Black Mountain.
When Helene struck, Mr. Brown and his wife were at their home on a hillside, witnessing the fury of the storm through a large picture window amid the sounds of cracking tree limbs and pounding rain. While their home sustained little damage, their son's property was not so lucky.
At the time, their son was away on an out-of-state work assignment. In addition to his home, he owned a rental property across the road, where a young couple lived.
"The water came up to the windows, and everything really was kind of a total loss," Mr. Brown said.
Helene brought more than three feet of rain to parts of Black Mountain, washing out roads and triggering widespread rockslides and mudslides. Floodwaters severely damaged both properties, carrying the couple's vehicle about 500 feet into the nearby woods.
"I had to break the news to my son that his investments that he had worked so hard for had basically really been damaged and destroyed by the flooding caused by the waterway next to his house," Mr. Brown said.
When his son returned home, the two connected with the Renew NC center in Asheville and applied for assistance through the Single-Family Housing Program. The state-led program helps eligible homeowners in western North Carolina repair, replace, or reconstruct homes damaged by Helene.
Mr. Brown said the program offered them a measure of hope as the family faced the difficult road to recovery ahead of them.
Because his son frequently traveled for work, Mr. Brown obtained power of attorney to assist with in-person matters. While working out-of-state, his son stayed in regular contact with his assigned case manager as his application progressed through the program's review process.
"I'm sure the people with the [Renew NC] program knew his name and knew his appearance," Mr. Brown said. "Every time that he was home from assignment, he and I would go to Asheville and talk to one of the managers, and they would again update us."
When construction on the new home began, Mr. Brown and his wife made a point of following its progress.
"My wife and I would sit up on a property some distance away. We'd take photographs, we'd talk about it, and we'd watch Ducky Recovery go through the process of building this new home," he said.
The couple enjoyed watching the home take shape, impressed by how quickly and smoothly the construction progressed. Nearly three months later, on October 22, Mr. Brown and his wife reached another milestone: They received the keys to their son's new home.
They took photographs to share the news with their son, who was thrilled by the transformation. "Oh, he's just in heaven right now," Mr. Brown said. "From having nothing to having a beautiful home is just a sensation that you can't describe."
With their son is still away on assignment, his parents are making sure a few things are ready for his return -- including a new bed. For Mr. Brown and his wife, the completion of the construction project is a special opportunity for their son to regain something they feared had been lost.
"We just want to thank the program. We want to thank Ducky Recovery," Mr. Brown said. "We thank you for the keys that were made available to us today."